While the television cameras roll in Shepton Mallet Market Place for the new prime time BBC shopping history series that will give the town international fame, traders and people in the town centre can play their part in their own success story.

Shepton's town centre shoppers are being invited to take part in two "Shopportunities" – a spot the odd one out competition, sponsored by the Shepton Mallet Journal, and a grand shoppers' draw, supported by many town centre businesses with the chance of winning some super prizes and hundreds of pounds worth of shopping vouchers.

The competitions are the brainchild of town councillor Derek Marvin and are being fully supported by the Shepton Mallet Journal, Tesco and many of the town centre shops and businesses.

Mr Marvin said: "I am so grateful to the shopkeepers in High Street, Town Street and the Market Place and also to Tesco, and its manager Stewart Collins, and to the Journal and editor Philip Welch for supporting this.

"The aim is to encourage people down into the town centre and to support the businesses there and see the wealth of services and goods they have to offer."

Many town centre businesses have closed and others are struggling following the opening of the Townsend Retail Park at the top of the town.

But it is the character of the historic Market Place and the number of now available empty shops that prompted BBC programme producers to choose Shepton as the perfect site for its new series.

Thousands of leaflets, generously sponsored by Shepton High Street estate agent Charles Barnard and encouraging people to support the town centre traders, are being handed out by Mr Marvin and his team this week. They can also be picked up from the checkouts at Tesco.

When shoppers make any purchase from any of the town centre businesses involved in the promotion, they will be given a draw ticket. All they have to do is fill in their contact details and enter their ticket for the Grand Draw. For the spot the odd one out competition people must cut out and fill in the coupon below.

The challenge is to look in the various shop windows in the town centre and look for the odd one out item.

It will be something you would definitely not expect to see in that window.

The competitions will start tomorrow and run until noon on Monday. All completed draw tickets and coupons can be popped into the competition entries box at the Tourist Information Centre at the top of the High Street in the Haskins complex. The TIC is open from 10am-4pm tomorrow and Monday and from 10am-2pm on Saturday. The TIC is closed on Sunday.

The prize in the spot the odd one out competition sponsored by the Shepton Mallet Journal is a family ticket to Wookey Hole Caves for two adults and two children. Journal editor Philip Welch will judge this competition and his decision is final.

For the grand draw, the prizes include a selection of shopping vouchers donated by various businesses and worth more than £100, plus a bottle of champagne from Tesco.

Businesses supporting the High Street, Market Place and Town Street promotion and competitions will all display a leaflet in their windows.

Tomorrow town council chairman Jeannette Marsh and a Tesco representative will officially unveil the new board that Mr Marvin has had made by HW Signs of Board Cross, Shepton Mallet. The board, which is being fixed to the outside the Tesco store, lists all the various shopping opportunities down in the town centre.

It has been paid for by Rod Thorner, of Thorner Homes, the developers at Tadley Acres and Mr Marvin hopes it will encourage customers at the Townsend Retail Park down into the town centre and support the business there.

See the Shop Locally in Shepton advertisement feature on pages 34 and 35.