A COMMUNITY group will be able to expand their work in Crook thanks to a lottery grant of almost £150,000.

Crook Community Partnership was given a £146,579 grant by the Big Lottery Fund and will use the money to expand the group and the services it offers.

The organisation has been running for ten years and consists mainly of volunteers, but the grant now means it can afford to take on more staff.

In turn, the group will be able to introduce more activities in the town and work with local traders and businesses to improve the town's image and services.

Partnership chairman Graeme Fancourt said: "The money is a massive help and this grant is something that will hopefully catapult us from being a group of volunteers doing our best, but always limited by the fact we are volunteers."

The group employs only two people in part-time administration positions, but the grant will secure their jobs and enable the organisation to take on full-time staff.

One full-time member of staff will be employed to work with local organisations and people.

Mr Fancourt said: "We are going to be using it to continue to employ the people we have at the moment and also bring in a full-time partnership officer to work with the local community."

The position is likely to be filled in the next few months, but there are also more immediate plans on how some of the cash will be spent.

"Recently, we have started working with the Market Towns Initiative in Crook, and putting on community ventures," said Mr Fancourt.

"Now we are planning a fashion show and early Christmas shopping evening to help people recognise the quality of shopping in the town."

The partnership has been running in Hope Street since the late 1990s and is responsible for raising funds for improvements to the town, including closed-circuit security cameras.

But Mr Fancourt admitted: "The partnership had done all it could and it was time for the next stage.

"We have been working on a new business plan and working out where we were and where we were going."

The group is holding an event to celebrate the grant, as well as its tenth anniversary, in November, at Crook Cricket Club.