CHARITIES dealing in community healthcare in the North-East have a chance to win £20,000 in a scheme run by drugs company GlaxoSmithKline.

The firm, which has a factory in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is offering a total of £260,000 to help projects continue.

There will be ten sums of £20,000 given out in its seventh UK Impacts Awards. From these, an overall winner will be chosen for a further £10,000. Ten highly commended projects will be given £5,000 each.

Working in partnership with the King's Fund, a leading independent health charity, the awards are designed to recognise and promote the work of small or medium-sized voluntary organisations.

Previous winners include the Pennywell Neighbourhood Centre, in Sunderland, the Durham Young People's Centre and the Cumbrian Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service.

Since its inception, more than 100 healthcare charities have been awarded £1.5m to help deal with difficult and distressing social issues.

Those given awards must have been in operation for at least three years and have an annual budget of less than £750,000.

An application pack is available by sending an A4 self-addressed envelope to: GSK Impact Awards, Grants Department, The King's Fund, 11-13 Cavendish Square, London W1M OAN. The closing date for applications is Monday, September 22.