CHARITIES and community organisations across County Durham and the Tees Valley have received a £900,000 windfall.

The Northern Rock Foundation, a charity which receives five per cent of Northern Rock's annual pre-tax profits - more than £163m by December this year - chose three causes in the area designed to improve people's quality of life.

The awards made in this round include:

* £110,000 for Vane Tempest Sports and Social Welfare Centre, in Seaham, County Durham, towards a new community facility

* £285,000 over three years for Barnardo's projects in Middlesbrough and Stockton, working with children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation

* £88,420 over three years for the 700 Club, in Darlington, for the salary of a mentor co-ordinator and costs of the Emma project which supports homeless people in the town.

The news was welcomed in Seaham, where plans are well under way for the construction of a £2.6m community complex.

Gail Ballance, the project's development officer said: "This is excellent news and a major boost for the whole venture."

After more than eight years on the drawing board, the funding package for the centre, which will include multi-purpose halls, a meeting and training rooms, a community cafe, games room and changing facilities, is finally coming together.

The new centre will replace the existing outdated community facility, built in 1947.

Dr Ira Laketic-Ljubojevic, chief executive of the 700 Club in Darlington, said: "What we try to do is a be a one-stop shop assisting homeless people to more independent living.

"The purpose of that particular grant was to improve mentoring so we can offer social support to individuals."

The Northern Rock Foundation grant was also welcomed by Barnardo's, which runs two projects, Secos (Sexual Exploitation of Children On the Streets) in Middlesbrough and Ace (Against Child Exploitation) in Stockton, which help young people get out and recover from exploitation through prostitution.

The £285,000 will allow it to expand its services in the area, including preventative work in schools in Stockton, and to develop specific work to target young men who are being sexually exploited.

Alastair Balls, chairman of Northern Rock Foundation, said: "The foundation's latest awards in County Durham and the Tees Valley will help improve life chances for homeless people, provide better community facilities and tackle crimes of sexual exploitation."