A NEW action group has been set up to help breathe life into rural communities.

The group, which is led by the North York Moors National Park Authority, wants to secure funding for local projects from the European LEADER programme.

And it wants people from North Yorkshire and East Cleveland to share their views on what the money should be spent on by contributing to public consultations.

The LEADER funding scheme was set up to help rural communities improve the quality of life and economic prosperity of their area through small but innovative projects.

Peter Barfoot, NYMNPA director of conservation, said: "Through the LEADER approach we have the chance to bid for money to enhance the quality of lives in our rural communities so it's really important that people come and tell us what they think those priorities are.

"Although LEADER projects tend to be small scale - the average project cost probably won't be more than £20,000 - they can have a terrific impact on a local community. The types of things that people might think about are village improvements, access to services, local culture and the heritage of the area."

The European Commission and Defra will be funding the scheme over a six-year period.

The new action group will prepare a Local Development Strategy, which will be assessed in the autumn and, if successful, the funds could be available later this year.

Five consultation events are being held from 7-9pm at the following venues: 12 May Loftus Old Co-op Building 13 May Hovingham Village Hall 14 May Sneaton Castle, Whitby 19 May Burniston Village Hall 20 May Chop Gate Village Hall