Thirsk has been selected as a Beacon Town for England by the Countryside Agency.

The Beacon Town initiative is designed to show how the country's market towns can act as local service centres for their residents and communities in the surrounding rural areas.

Towns are chosen to demonstrate how best to tackle a particular issue or range of issues, such as community safety, development of business opportunities and resources, housing, and access to leisure, arts and recreation.

Thirsk's status will see it lead the way on fighting crime by educating local people on how to stay safe.

It will start with an audit of crime levels and community safety issues. The Thirsk Regeneration Initiative Partnership will have the task of developing initiatives aimed at improving community safety and reducing crime.

Thirsk was selected with five other new Beacon Towns, from more than 200 market towns taking part in the Countryside Agency's Market Towns Initiative.

Hambleton District Councillor for Thirsk, Stephen Hubbard said: "Beacon status will pull in all members and organisations in the community to create a successful and safe environment.

"It is for community safety, which has been highlighted so that people in the community are more mindful of being safe and secure in their local towns."

Richmond and Whitby were two of the first Beacon Towns announced by the Countryside Agency in July last year.

Richard Wakeford, agency chief executive, said: "Our first nine beacon towns highlighted some wider issues of concern, such as how to reuse valuable but difficult to utilise vacant space in a town centre, how to improve the provision of services for young people and families, and how market towns can become the hub for local food production, marketing, and distribution.

"Demonstrating ways to tackle the problems many rural communities face and learning from and sharing the results are the core of the Countryside Agency's work.

"Beacon towns act as test beds and provide opportunities to try different approaches."