AN EAST Durham community will be celebrated in a collection of short stories written by locals with the help of a £8,210 Awards for All grant.

Easington Writers will get the cash to help develop an anthology of short fiction produced from the thoughts and recollections of residents old and young.

Community groups of all shapes and sizes will work with two local authors in workshops and mentoring sessions over the next year, and in March 2010 a finished selection of tales will be published.

Chairman Susan Robinson said: "We didn’t want to write just another history book through this project. "Our goal is to get the whole community contributing tales based in and around Easington so that we can tease out a sense of the area past and present, as well as creating a new set of stories and myths for future generations to enjoy."

She added: "Easington offers very few cultural opportunities to its residents – there is no theatre, no cinema, no museum, and famously the film Billy Elliot was based here for that reason.

"We want to get people writing and provide a platform for creativity.

"The series of workshops and mentoring sessions are an important part of that process, enabling us to develop writing skills and build momentum in the coming months, and they will culminate in a special reading event just before publication where excerpts will be read out to a local audience."

Also making an awards splash is Durham Divers, granted £3,706 to buy equipment that will help more scuba diving novices try the sport.

The group meet every Thursday at Aykley Heads Sports Complex but until now had been begging and borrowing equipment if ever newcomers wanted to join in.

With new gear on board, the club is looking forward to helping as many people as possible dive in at the deep end.

Also celebrating a Lottery grant is Get Up 'n' Go Club in Easington, awarded £3,279 to run a programme of activities aimed at improving the skills of its members and committee.