Downham Market could be awarded �5,000 to be spent improving the town after being shortlisted in a national campaign.

The market town is in competition with Market Drayton, Windermere, Western Super Mare and Market Harborough to be twinned with the fictional Russian meerkat village of Meerkovo, the home of Aleksandr Orlov, the founder of comparethemeerkat.com.

An online public vote is currently being carried out to help the entrepreneurial meerkat pick a winner from the five shortlisted towns. The voting will end on Friday, February 18, with a winner announced three days later.

If Downham Market is selected as the winning town it will receive official Meerkovo twin town status by changing its name to Downham Meerket for the day and will also receive a donation of �5,000 which can be spent how the community wants.

The famous meerkat said: 'To help raise awareness of plight of Meerkovo, our great village is become twin sibling with one lucky town from United Kingdoms.

'After hundreds of nominations, I have create short list of five towns. But which is make best match?

'Is very difficult decision, so I create online poll for UK peoples to make vote heard on the Facebook. Happy votings, and may the best town make victory.'

*For full details of the competition click on the links on the right-hand side of this page.