A £2.8m cash boost is set to revitalise one of the region's rivers and create new jobs.

In an announcement last week, the Mineral Valleys Project revealed the major plans for the River Wear after being awarded the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Entitled Mineral Valleys - A Vital Landscape, the scheme aims to celebrate part of the North-East's industrial past.

It will see the creation of wetlands and meadows along the River Wear and Gaunless and the transformation of an abandoned quarry into a nature reserve with a new eco-education centre built by the community of Frosterley.

Other plans include planting community woodlands around former pit villages, restoring and interpreting lime kilns and a Roman site, developing heritage trails, a visitor centre and facilities and improved access to the River Wear.

Finer details of exact locations are yet to be revealed but the work will link the City of Durham and the North Pennines, which attract over 800,000 visitors. It is also hoped that the project will create jobs.

Keith Bartlett, HLF regional manager for the North-East, said: "Mineral Valleys is a fabulous programme. It enables much needed improvements to the area's natural habitats, and will open up the heritage of the countryside for everyone to enjoy."

Local communities, schools and organisations will all play a fundamental role in the project by learning more about their natural environment, industrial heritage and it's impact on the countryside in the process. There will also be regular updates about developments and opportunities for people to participate through newsletters, exhibitions and educational packs.