ENTRIES are starting to come in for a competition offering thousands of pounds to the owners of the region's best community websites.

The CommuniGate initiative run by Newsquest NorthEast, publishers of The Northern Echo, has seen more than 2,000 non-profit organisations set up their own sites free of charge. The owners of those sites are now urged to stake their claim for a share of a £5,000 prize fund.

The winner of the Best Community Website contest, run by CommuniGate and Barclays, will receive £3,000, with two runners-up each collecting £1,000 prizes.

Sites are being judged on their content, usefulness and how effectively they promote their group or charity.

So far, nominations have been received for the sites run by the Bunny Burrows sanctuary in Richmond, North Yorkshire, Sir William Turner's Almshouses, at Kirk-leatham, near Redcar, east Cleveland, The Argus Singers' choir, of Chester-le-Street, and Northallerton and District Bereavement Care.

The sites have been praised for their ease of use and how well they raise awareness of the various organisations.

The competition is open to existing sites built through CommuniGate and those that will be established by the end of November. Judging will begin in early December.

Anyone can nominate a site and entries should include its name, web address and the reasons why it has been put forward. The closing date is November 30.

Entries can be sent to Karen Maughan, Community Web Editor, Newsquest NorthEast, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF. Nominations can also be made online at www. communigate.co.uk/ne