MORE than £3m of National Lottery funding has been earmarked to boost skills and employment in the North-East.
The funding is to be pumped into deprived areas of Darlington, Stockton, Wansbeck and Blyth Valley over ten years, to improve the life of communities that have yet to receive their fair share of Lottery funding.
Each of the four community foundations will receive about £800,000 each.
Frances Thirlway, of the County Durham Foundation, which has been awarded money for projects in Darlington, said it will set up panels of local people to decide how best to spend the money.
She said the money will be invested in projects that benefit Darlington's Central and Northgate wards.
She said: "Instead of getting a few grants here and there, this is a long-term strategy designed to make a difference over ten years.
"It's really a project for the community to decide."
The announcement was made yesterday by Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell.
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