More than 150 people responded to an appeal for help to breathe new life into Norwich's River Wensum.

For years, there have been calls to make more of the river which flows through the city centre, emulating cities like Cambridge, York and Bath, where rivers are hubs of activity.

Norwich City Council is leading the way in drawing up a joint strategy for the river, working in partnership with the Broads Authority, Norfolk County Council, the Norwich Society, the Environment Agency and the Wensum River Parkway Partnership.

The River Wensum Strategy aims to use the river as a focus for tourism, leisure and business and could secure funding, such as National Lottery cash, to make the projects a reality. In June, the partnership launched a consultation to put the spotlight back on the river, to help find ways to fulfil its potential.

The consultation, which has now closed, explored the river's potential to boost Norwich's economy by attracting tourists and visitors, how it links to the footpath and cycle network, its heritage and its contribution to biodiversity.

And the city council said 162 people had taken part, making 818 comments.

Alec Hartley, chairman of Wensum River Parkway Partnership, said: 'Since the Norwich Society and Norwich HEART founded the Parkway Partnership our aim has been to get all the main players on board to bring life back to the river.

'Now Norwich City Council has joined with Norfolk County Council, the Broads Authority, Environment Agency and ourselves to do just that.'

The responses are now being collated and analysed to help identify the main areas of interest to be addressed in the development of the strategy.