BOLTON is full of features to be proud of — from its award-winning museums and libraries to its world class sporting facilities.

Bolton Museum was last year named among the top 10 tourist attractions in Greater Manchester, finishing ahead of prestigious centres such as Urbis and the Imperial War Museum North.

Away from the town centre, Smithills Hall and Hall i’ th’ Wood attract thousands of visitors every year, while Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok stadium is known by football fans across the land.

Bolton also has the capacity to attract major sporting events to the area—from the Ironman UK Triathlon to international boxing nights.

Ironman brought more than £4.2 million into the local economy last year. And, following the success of the event, the triathlon will be based around Bolton and Rivington again this time around.

Bolton Arena, apart from being a world-class tennis centre, has hosted four major boxing events — all featuring Bolton’s Amir Khan.

And Amir is not the only homegrown hero.

Cyclist Jason Kenny shot to fame after scooping gold and silver medals at the 2008 Olympic Games.

As if that was not enough, Bolton Wanderers are now embarking on their 10th successive season in the Premier League. Away from sport, comedian Peter Kay has kept the town firmly planted on the map and is currently in the middle of his massive Tour That Doesn’t Tour Tour at the MEN Arena in Manchester.

He has now sold three quarters of a million tickets, making it the largest stand-up tour in history.

Yesterday, town centre traders called on Boltonians to get behind the town instead of moaning about it, as it emerged a major town centre development was back on the agenda.

The leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris, said: “I certainly believe Bolton is a great place to live, work and visit. As one of England’s largest towns, it is a distinctive, diverse and welcoming place, with great characters and a friendly, down-to-earth approach to life.

“We’ve got a long history of hosting excellent events, including the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Ironman UK and the increasingly popular Food and Drink Festival.

“The town has lots to offer, from the stunning Victorian splendour of the Town Hall, to the wealth of unspoilt countryside, including some 426 hectares of parks.

“We also have a fantastic museum, aquarium and archive which is set to boast a new local history gallery in the autumn, a new swimming pool being built and a raft of leisure and retail developments lined up.”