Darlington is to receive more than £550,000 in grant aid from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The award came as voluntary and community groups across the North-East were allocated £2.5m in a Fair Share initiative targeted at areas that have not received as much aid as other disadvantaged districts.

It is hoped the cash injection will see more than 70,000 people benefit in the next five years.

The big winner was the Darlington-based Firthmoor and District Community Association, which received a £300,000 contribution towards a Community Centre for the Firthmoor Estate.

Roderick Francis, chairman of the association, said: "I was delighted to learn of the success of our bid.

"We are now in a position to create our new centre - the focal point of the new Firthmoor."

Darlington Borough Council is similarly pleased about the investment.

A spokesman said: "We are delighted that such a valuable community project has been able to benefit from the support of the Community Fund, and look forward to many more such awards as the Fair Share initiative boosts community activity in Darlington."

The town's Citizens Advice Bureau was also touched by good fortune and is to receive £250,000, which will allow it to recruit more staff for its outreach services.

A spokesman for the bureau said: "This grant is going to help people in Darlington have access to services they might otherwise have difficulty obtaining."

Among the North-East's other recipients were the South Bank Women's Centre in Redcar and the Wheatley Hill and New Thornley Community Regeneration Partnerships in Easington.