A RAFT of grants worth £1m are to be channelled into Wensleydale and Swaledale in an effort to improve the quality of life for people in the area.

The regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, has pledged the cash over three years, investing in schemes in Hawes, Reeth and Richmond.

A total of £800,000 will be ploughed into the development of the industrial estate at Hawes and a network of craft workshops in Reeth.

Another £100,000 will also go towards the redevelopment of Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal.

A grant of £52,000 will pay for a community development worker, whose role will be to encourage new projects in the more far flung villages as well as areas such as Colburn and Catterick.

Another £123,000 will also be invested in redevelopment of Hudson House - the former Barclays Bank in Reeth - as a community resource centre.

Richmondshire District Council's chief executive, Harry Tabiner, said: "The offer of funding by Yorkshire Forward is a real coup.

"The money is an excellent opportunity to bring forward priority projects contained within the Richmondshire Integrated Development Plan."

It is hoped both the industrial estate in Hawes and Reeth's craft workshops will help bring jobs to the area, where the local economy is still struggling with the aftermath of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Fewer people in rural areas are making their living off the land, which means there's a growing need for diversity in the employment market in the countryside.

The community development worker's role will be to pioneer social concepts in areas deemed to be in need of regeneration, including villages in Swaledale and Wensleydale.

Meanwhile, Hudson House in Reeth - due to open soon - will bring a number of public services under a single roof.

As well as desperately-needed affordable homes, the community-led project includes a computer suite, tourist information point, facilities for paying council bills, a youth club and police office.

A comprehensive restoration at Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal is under way, but problems with the foundations have driven up the cost and the additional funding should help meet the £1.3m bill.