COMMUNITY groups in County Durham's former pit areas will be able to apply for grants of up to £10,000.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has launched a "fast track" grant programme called Bridging the Gap.

It is aimed at small voluntary and community groups which, the trust says, have traditionally had difficulty getting small grants quickly.

The trust has run a similar programme in Scotland, which attracted a wide range of applicants, including community arts groups, miners' welfares, clubs and associations.

Bridging the Gap will run alongside the trust's main grants programme which has spent £7.75m in the North-East since the trust's launch in 1999.

Trust chief executive Alan Wallace said: " Because trust support goes straight to the heart of our coalfields communities, thousands of people in scores of pit villages, council estates and other communities benefit directly.

"Our regeneration managers engage closely with coalfields community groups, ensuring the trust stays connected and responsive to coalfields needs at community level.

"Bridging the Gap is designed to ensure Coalfields Regeneration Trust funds are available to those groups, which traditionally have had greatest difficulty in attracting funding.