This project seeks to encourage the regeneration of networks of towns using a ‘hands-on approach’. It focuses on the need for bottom-up planning, with each town seeking to advance through the work of voluntary groups drawn from the local business and community sectors. Progress in participating towns can be benchmarked from their differing starting positions on three broad dimensions. Shared project officers will facilitate and service the local volunteer groups. The project also includes a community chest of seed finance that the local initiatives can draw on to kick-start modest priority projects of a social, economic or environmental nature. Local interaction and trans-national dissemination will be promoted through a Towns Forum and dedicated web-site.