TWENTY five community groups in former County Durham mining areas are sharing £44,000 from a new regeneration fund.

The grants are the first from the new Coalfields Community Chest, run by the County Durham Foundation.

The chest is funded with £438,017 given by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to support community groups in 63 council wards in Chester-le-Street, Durham, Derwentside, Easington and Sedgefield.

The largest grant - the ceiling is £5,000 - goes to the East Durham Domestic Violence Forum in Peterlee which is getting £3,960 to run weekly drop-in sessions for female victims.

Other awards include £2,345 for the Sherburn Community Association, near Durham, which plans to re-lay the floor of its hall, buy a maintenance machine and replace a worn-out gas cooker.

The East Derwentside Credit Union is getting £2,000 to turn a shop into an office and cover its running costs for a year.

A £1,500 grant to the Sacriston Community Group, near Chester-le-Street, will help pay for the design of logos and the decoration of 30 shop shutters in the village.

Trimdon Colliery Community Association, Sedgefield, is getting £1,000 to put on activities throughout the year.

Professor John Clarke, chairman of the foundation's grants committee, said: "Our main criterion is that projects should be community-led and should benefit the local community. I am delighted that we will be funding so many excellent schemes.''

Project administrator Rachel Barrigan said: "The committee wanted to give everyone a chance to apply.