ATTEMPTS to improve employment are among projects totalling almost £500,000 lined up for Wear Valley and surrounding areas.

Groundwork West Durham has announced regeneration plans for the area that will cost £493,454.

Among the projects are employment and training schemes that are aimed at helping the unemployed to seek work.

Wear Valley, southern Bishop Auckland and the Tow Law Task Force have been specifically targeted. The Wear Valley scheme should cost about £153,861. A further £101,290 will be spent on southern Bishop Auckland and approximately £57,000 will be spent in Tow Law.

The three schemes are among 18 projects proposed in the area by Groundwork that were discussed at a recent meeting of Wear Valley District Council's regeneration committee. Members of the committee have welcomed the projects subject to future planning approvals.

Groundwork is also backing a £46,000 scheme by Coundon and Leeholme Youth Project.

A youth worker will be employed for the villages to offer activities for local youngsters through a range of regeneration initiatives and unemployment groups.

Community workers will be brought in for Weardale and Bishop Auckland to help groups to make environmental improvements. This will see £32,000 spent in Bishop Auckland and a further £16,000 invested in Weardale.

Kay Mills, senior project officer for Groundwork, said: "This is a broad range of projects that will continue with our regeneration work in the area.

She said the community workers would enable Groundwork to work with a variety of different groups to finding out what people want.

About £30,000 will be spent on an archaeology survey in Weardale by the Weardale Society in conjunction with English Heritage, the County Archaeologist and North-East Vernacular Architectural Group.

Other projects in the pipeline include improvements at Escomb Amenity Hall and Foundry Field Allotments, Crook; seating at Tindale Crescent; an outdoor play area for Taylor Road Community Centre, an informal play strategy for Wear Valley and a feasibility study and site survey for Ashcroft Playground, Stanhope.