GROUPS throughout the Darlington area are to receive a total of more than £2,000 in grant aid from the borough council.

The organisations all applied for financial assistance from Darlington Borough Council to help with the running of their groups.

The Archer Junior Badminton Club has been recommended to receive £200 to help the group hire courts at the Dolphin Centre.

The Haughton Junior Badminton Club will also receive £200, to help to hire the sports hall at Haughton Community School.

Darlington Choral Society will receive a grant of £600 towards the cost of staging two concerts at the town's Dolphin Centre, and to help to pay for quality soloists and musicians to join the group.

The four Darlington Credit Unions have each been awarded £250 towards their administration costs.

The unions are cooperatives which offer their members loans from savings built up themselves.

The Northern Regional Brass Band Trust will receive £100 towards its running costs.

The Rosemary Court Friday Night Over-60s Club will receive £150 towards the cost of various trips and social gatherings for its members.

A grant of £100 will be made to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers' Territorial Centre, in Newton Aycliffe.

The money will help to pay for the costs of the centre's dedication service, which took place in June.

Individuals will also benefit from the the council's latest round of cash handouts.

They include 15-year-old Darlington athlete John Clegg, who will receive £200 towards travel expenses to his training ground in Middlesbrough.

Stuart Leonard, of Darlington Amateur Boxing Club, will get £200 to help him travel to training in Peterlee.

Tom Russell and other Darlington council employees will receive a total of £200 to help organise a charity cycle ride to raise money for Darlington Memorial hospital.

The decision to pay the grants will be ratified on August 30.