THE market town lies at the heart of country life. Yet modern times have not been kind to such towns, which have been harmed by slow decline over a number of decades.

Market towns can suffer from isolation and social drift, especially if young people move away, unable to find work or to afford a local home.

The lure of bigger cities can be hard to resist, especially for shoppers who decide it is better to travel further to large out-of-town shopping centres, rather than relying on their local town shops.

Whether or not workable solutions to such deep-seated problems can be found remains to be seen, but at least today brings the possibility of a brighter and more secure future. For a new multi-million pound campaign to revitalise market towns has been launched today, fittingly enough in Malton, a town which knows all too well the difficulties that modern life can impose. Shops in the town continually have to struggle against fierce competition from bigger centres.

The campaign is a combined initiative from the Countryside Agency and the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, and six market towns in Yorkshire will be the first to be chosen for this Government-backed pilot scheme.

Eventually another 12 market towns in the region could also benefit from subsidies which are intended to boost flagging towns. Initially, the six chosen towns will receive £340,000 a year, but with matched funding this new investment could amount to £1 million.

David Gluck, project manager with the Countryside Agency, says he hopes that this project will see "the beginning of the rebirth of the typical market town". We certainly hope Mr Gluck is right, for his project is much needed.

It is encouraging that, as with the post offices, the Government appears at last to be listening. How good it is too to see such a wide-ranging set of proposals, encompassing everything from local commerce and public transport to making good use of a town's heritage.

All of this sounds like great news. Everyone involved will be hoping that this initiative lives up to its bright promise.