A GRANT of nearly £10,000 will help to improve a visitor centre in Teesdale.

The Gaunless Valley Heritage Group, which helps to run the Gaunless Valley Visitor Centre, near Butterknowle, has been awarded £9,750.

The centre promotes the industrial heritage of the valley - an area rich in coal mining history.

The money, given by the Awards for All Lottery grant scheme, will be spent on activities to help visitors learn more about the valley, educational equipment and improving facilities.

It includes money to help schools with transport costs.

Teesdale district councillor Ken Robinson, chairman of the Gaunless Valley Heritage Group, said: "Members of the heritage group are all from the local community and we hope that, with the financial support of Awards for All, we can help make visitors as proud of the area as we are.

"Over the last century, no area has contributed more to the economies of Teesdale, Durham and the wider region than the Gaunless Valley.

"The decline of coal here over the past 50 years created problems for us.

"We very much appreciate the help we are being given will, in some small way, assist regeneration of this area and bring in visitors to appreciate what is an industrial archaeological wonderland, much under-valued and still to be savoured."