GOOD causes from across the region could win vital help as part of a competition launched by The Northern Echo and building company Rok today.

The Rok Community Challenge is an initiative that aims to reward the work of voluntary and community organisations by offering free assistance to upgrade their premises.

Rok offers its management skills and craftsmanship to bring communities together to help themselves.

Scout groups, youth clubs, church halls and schools have been among those to benefit across the country in the past, and a range of community buildings have been given muchneeded revamps.

Now groups in the North-East and North Yorkshire could have their community dream come true as The Northern Echo teams up with Rok Community Challenge.

Steve Allen, the Tees Valley area leader for Rok, said: "This initiative is an opportunity for local clubs and community groups to improve the facilities that they use regularly.

"Most grassroots organisations have to raise a lot of money to sustain their club, and we wanted to do something to help out.

"Rok is embedded in the community, with all of our employees being from the local area.

"It is great to be able to give something back and to continue on our journey to becoming the nation's local builder."

Past beneficiaries of the scheme include Whitley Bay District Scout Group, which ended up with a refurbished scout hut, and parishioners at St Mary's Church, Fawdon, Newcastle, who were given help to create a community garden.

Competition winners will be visited by a management team from Rok, who will help lead a team of volunteers to complete a small-scale revamp to the organisation's premises over the course of a weekend. Rok will source all materials needed to complete the project.

To register for the competition, call Kirsty Rough on 01325-505282. Participants will be asked to fill in an entry form published in The Northern Echo on November 10, 17 and 24.

Competition tokens will be printed in the paper every day from November 10 to 24, and the applications from the community groups that have collected the most tokens will go to a shortlist and then be decided on by a panel of judges.

The winner will be chosen later this year.

The deadline for applications is November 28.