YOUNG people have awarded £5,000 to projects across north Durham to help prevent crime.
Derwentside Young People's Forum decided to spend half its £10,000 budget in grants to youth clubs and other groups in the district.
The forum hopes the initiative, called the Spice it Up project, will help attract young people off the streets and into clubs and organisations.
Seventeen grants were made to bidders whose activities involve more than 1,000 children.
Those to benefit include Consett's Air Training Corps, Consett Detached Churches' Youth Project, Explorer Scouts, and youth groups from Castleside, Moorside, Medomsley, Oxhill, Qualing Houses, Leadgate and Crookhall.
The money will go on activity days, training equipment, pool tables and arts and crafts materials.
The other half of the forum's budget was shared between the district's special schools at Harelaw, near Stanley, and Villa Real, near Consett.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article