AN organisation to help people with mental health problems has received £170,000 lottery money.

Chester-le-Street Mind, based in South Pelaw, has been awarded the money from the lottery's Community Fund to help to provide services for people with mental health problems. The cash should fund two part-time mental health community development workers and a part-time project manager.

Helen McCaughey, project manager for Mind, said they also hope to employ up to 30 volunteers to work with people in hospitals and in the community. This care could range from driving people from hospital to their home, helping them with paper work or benefits, or putting on courses for hospital patients.

She said: "Basically we're plugging the gaps. We will pick them up when they're in hospital, then match them up with a volunteer when they leave.

"These people are going from the extremely supportive, sanitised environment of a hospital, and then going back to a flat which may have been empty for two months. We just want to give that bit of support they need."

Anyone interested in volunteering should call (0191) 388 3411 and leave their name and address or telephone number.