RESIDENTS of a troubled housing estate have received a boost with the announcement that a full-time community worker has been appointed for the area as part of a £108,000 scheme.

Durham City's Sherburn Road Community Action Partnership (SRCAP) is one of the first projects in the country to be supported by a recently relaunched Home Office initiative called Active Community Unit.

The money will be released during the next three years to employ and train a Pelaw ward resident as a community worker to improve life on the estate.

The worker will recruit and coordinate volunteers and provide advice on how to access training and employment opportunities.

Angela Kingston, treasurer for SRCAP, said: "This fund is important for us to continue building on the good work that has been done at Sherburn Road.

"There have been a lot of changes over the years.

"More people now want to be more involved in community activities and this provides the chance for us to do this."

Three Rivers Housing Group, a major housing pro-vider at Sherburn Road, and Durham City Council, established SRCAP to kick-start community activities when regeneration work began more than five years ago.

The group is now entirely led by residents and plays a vital role in running Pelaw View Community Centre, in Sherburn.

Money has been poured into the state from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget since 1996, but that cash is due to run out next spring.