BOLTON town centre is on the up after it was revealed that 34 new businesses have opened in the last 12 months.

And Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, along with other outlying town centres, including Farnworth and Westhoughton, are also seeing a boom in new arrivals.

The news comes as The Bolton News launches its We’re Backing Bolton campaign, urging people to shop local and give the town a boost.

As well as multinational corporations, such as the recentlyopened Swedish national bank Handelsbanken at The Valley and the Chiquito and Frankie and Benny’s restaurants at Middlebrook, a number of independent shops and salons have bucked the recession trend by opening.

Katherine Speakman set up The Chocolate Bar in Deansgate with her daughter, Kelly Pope, last November.

She admits things were tough over the summer, but trade is now picking up again for Christmas.

Mrs Speakman said: “It has been tough, but we had some help with our rents over the summer period from the landlords and things are now getting busier because of Christmas.

“It was always our intention to open in Bolton town centre because we’re from Bolton. We were hoping to install some chocolate- making machinery upstairs. That is on hold for the minute, although we still want to do it.”

Young entrepreneur Dan Place expanded his successful milkshake business M1LKSHAKE into Bolton in August, opposite the Market Place.

He said: “We knew all about Bolton and we knew it was a busy place, so it was a natural progression for us.

“The response has been very good and there are one or two new, young and fresh businesses opening up around us, which is great.”

Bolton Council has also handed out grants to organisations to allow them to take over empty town centre units.

Bolton Alternative Transport received more than £4,000 to help it move into the former YMCA premises, in Deansgate, and transformed it into a recycling and refurbishing centre for bicycles.

Two groups, Bolton Steps and Street Angel, were given £8,000 to convert a shop in Bradshawgate into an internet cafe by day and a safe haven for revellers by night.

And Lakamka Ltd, a community enterprise, opened The Kitchen, a vegetarian café, in Great Moor Street in September with the help of a grant.

Grants are still available and anyone interested should call Paula Connor on 01204 336129 or email paula.connor@ bolton.gov.uk Å We have joined forces with Bolton Council to launch the We’re Backing Bolton campaign.

Billboards are being placed at key “arrival”

points in Salford and Wigan and Boltonbranded black cabs are to be sent into Bury to try to entice shoppers.