EMPTY shops in Minehead are being transformed with giant posters in a bid to brighten up the town and beat the current economic doom and gloom.
A host of local organisations, spearheaded by Minehead Chamber of Trade and Minehead Town Council, have joined forces to fill empty shop windows with picture posters promoting the merits of the town.
The former Blockbuster video store boasts a vintage-style poster featuring Minehead and North Hill, while the long-vacant Threshers store has become a focus for ongoing plans to convert the town's old hospital into a community hub.
Plans are also in the pipeline to turn the empty JAG mobile phone shop into a 'community window' helping to raise the profile of local organisations, starting with St Michael's First School's fundraising campaign for a new swimming pool.
Graham Sizer, chairman of Minehead Chamber of Trade, said he was keen to send a vibrant, upbeat message to both residents and visitors alike.
"We want to let people know that we are aware there are issues in Minehead, but that, equally, there are also things being done.
"People have seen the posters and are talking about them.
"The images are stunning and thought-provoking and a clear message of collaboration between the town council, the chamber, the district council, Exmoor National Park Authority and the Minehead Development Trust," Mr Sizer said.
The giant four and five-metre posters amply fill what would otherwise be featureless glass windows in Minehead's main shopping streets.
"At the peak of the season visitors coming into Minehead town centre via the A39 would have approached the Friday Street junction, looked right for traffic and seen 12 metres of empty shop window.
"They would then have looked directly across the road to another 20 metres of featureless glass and probably thought 'If this is what Minehead has to off, let's go left and out of town'," Mr Sizer said.
But instead, a chance meeting between Mr Sizer and Minehead Mayor Tony Berry has seen the vacant shops transformed into huge advertising billboards for Minehead and West Somerset.
"I met the mayor by chance in the street just a couple of weeks ago and we both had this potential problem on our minds.
"He offered the cash. I got match-funding and the result is some massive four and five-metre posters filling the shops, especially the horrible Threshers store that has been empty for years," Mr Sizer said.
Through Cllr Berry, the town council gave £1,000 towards the project, while Mr Sizer secured another £1,000 in grants from the district council, West Somerset Railway and national park authority.
Cllr Berry said the town council had been only too glad to help: "I suggested we ought to do something to brighten up the town centre as nothing looks worse than a row of empty shops.
"It's a wonderful example of everyone working together for the good of Minehead and in these days of doom and gloom it looks fantastic," Cllr Berry said.
But it is not only paper and paint that is helping to raise the town's profile. Electronic whizzkids have turned to the world of smartphones and the internet to launch a dedicated 'Minehead App'.
The application can be downloaded onto a mobile phone or a computer tablet from the internet and contains a host of information about the town centre.
Shops, restaurants, cafés and visitor attractions are all listed, as well as a new heritage trail highlighting some of the town's historical points of interest.
These include the Minehead ghost story of Old Mother Leaky, a malevolent spirit who, it is said, whistles down the wind to cause tragedies at sea.
The Minehead Town Guide App has been developed by West Somerset Council in conjunction with local businesses and is free to download onto Google or Apple smartphones and tablets.
Cllr David Sanders, the district council's lead member for economic regeneration and tourism, said: "We have developed the app to help encourage visitors to really get to know Minehead and give them the confidence to explore our town.
"Once they are here they can use the GPS enabled maps to navigate their way around, which will be particularly good for finding those businesses not on the main parade.
"Visitors can learn more about the town's history and famous personalities, such as Arthur C Clarke, and choose from three interactive heritage trails that highlight many of the town's points of interest."
Cllr Sanders added: "Ultimately, we want to encourage people to support local shops and services, spend more money in the local economy and have the confidence to really explore the town."
The app has been developed using money paid to the district council to offset the impact of planning schemes in the town.
All businesses and services in Minehead are eligible to be included free of charge and can register their interest by contacting the council on 01984 635326.