VOLUNTEERS have had their hard work recognised with a national award.

Members of Waterhouses Community Association, near Durham City, have been presented with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, by the Lord Lieutenant for Durham, Sir Paul Nicholson.

The group is one of four in the North-East to be presented with the award this year, after being nominated by a villager.

Community association committee member Rhona Foster said: "The projects we have worked on have really helped the village regain its identity and brought more pride to the people who live here."

Among the recent projects staged in the village have been putting a cinema in the village hall and the carrying out of a village appraisal, which will be the basis for future projects.