BASINGSTOKE is a place with a great future, according to the man heading a new initiative designed to improve the lives of people in the town and borough.

The Local Strategic Partner-ship (LSP) involves different organisations from the public and private sectors and it has already drawn up a Community Strategy blueprint for the borough which bears the slogan "Pride in our Place".

The LSP's official public unveiling took place in Eastrop Park on Wednesday amid a circus atmosphere including fire jugglers, ostrich stilt-walkers and Posh 'n' Becks impersonators Dosh and Pecks from the Basingstoke-based Proteus Theatre Company.

Referring to the LSP project, Stephen Sheedy, principal of Queen Mary's College and chairman of the LSP, said: "Basingstoke is a town going forward and this can help us take it forward."

The scheme will provide opportunities for different organisations to discuss ideas and share information so that money and time is spent more efficiently in delivering benefits to the community across a wide spectrum of areas.

Cllr Rob Donnelly, the leader of Basingstoke council, said: "The LSP will act as a forum where we can all share issues that we have relating to a problem, and find which of our partners can deliver into that. The LSP should be able to pull together all the various elements which contribute to a problem and find a solution."

Although all of Hampshire is due to participate in a LSP scheme, Basingstoke is only the third area to have actually got its partnership project off the ground. A special roadshow is touring the borough to give residents more information about what the LSP is all about and how local people can get involved.