A number of businesses in Strabane will soon go live online after successfully applying for support through the Enhancing Strabane Town Centre Programme.

The programme is being delivered by Strabane BID Company with funding from the Department for Communities and five local companies will benefit from a new website as well as training in maintaining and building their online presence.

Last month members of Council’s Business and Culture Committee welcomed the announcement of £30,220 by the Department for Communities to deliver the programme.

The funding will be used to support a range of projects and services to boost the local economy and the digital aspect will be delivered by Enterprise North West.

The five successful companies represent a range of sectors from dog grooming to photography, and the businesses will now take part in a series of workshops to help effectively market and promote their products and services online.

Chair of the BID Board, Kieran Kennedy, said the support was just one of a number of initiatives designed to promote business in the town.

“I am delighted to see this investment being channelled into Strabane businesses, and for more companies here to have an online presence boosting both their own profile and that of the town.

“As a business community we are working hard to drive footfall in the town centre and to rejuvenate the local economy. Support such as this, coupled with the planned public realm transformation, will help us achieve this, we just need to keep up that momentum.”

The funding was opened up to local entrepreneurs, micro businesses and social enterprises, and the successful applicants all went through a competitive process to secure the digital support.

Brian O’Neill from Enterprise North West said: “We are looking forward to working with the successful businesses to establish an online presence which will allow them to market and promote their services in a more effective way. This will undoubtedly have a positive impact on business here and I hope to see more companies in Strabane following suit and availing of the support available to enhance their performance.”

Among the other planned improvements are the installation of new Christmas lighting structures to make the town more festive and inviting for shoppers, and the introduction of pedestrian footfall counters. The counters will assist with the gathering of data to help measure performance in the area, evaluating the success of marketing and promotion by identifying the additional footfall and/or spend generated during events or as a result of promotional activity.