THE eagerly awaited shortlist has been drawn up for The Northern Echo's environmental community competition.

Making A Difference is in its fifth year, and again the standard of entries has been very high.

The three schemes to be visited by the judging panel are:

* Laurel Avenue Nursery, on the Sherburn Road Estate, in Durham, which is working to transform a neglected piece of land next to its premises.

* Harrowgate Hill Junior School, in Thompson Street West, Darlington, which has just gained a national Eco-School Green Flag award, and works with local people and organisations on a range of environmental projects

* Richmond Pride, a group of volunteers tackling problems such as litter, dog waste and graffiti in the town, and is the first shortlisted project from North Yorkshire.

The panel will visit the three schemes on Thursday, September 4.

One of the judges, John Dean, said: "Each year, the competition provides ample proof that the region has some of the most committed volunteers in Britain, each one making a difference to the communities in which they live.

"This year's schemes represented the effort of hundreds of people, and it was just a pity that all of them could not be picked for the shortlist.

"In the end, the three selected schemes represent the best of a very good crop."