DURHAM County Cricket Club has launched a £500,000 foundation aimed at bringing it closer to the people of the region.

Bosses at the Durham County Cricket Foundation have been charged with inspiring, motivating and raising selfesteem in the North-East.

They will seek to achieve the ambitious goals through programmes for health, education, social cohesion and grassroots sport.

As well as more cricket coaching, teenage girls will be invited to dance on the Riverside Ground pitch before matches and school pupils will hear their recorded introductions to games played over the stadium’s public address system.

The club’s professional stars will be asked to act as role models for the region’s youngsters, while staff seek to take cricket to minority ethnic communities and people with disabilities, to tackle crime and combat racism.

Mark Foster, the foundation’s manager, said: “Through using our resources in this way we believe we can make a massive difference to the delivery of community programmes in the region. It’s about getting ourselves into the community and people’s minds and creating the supporters of the future.

“Cricket has a history of people going to their local club, but because we’re a reasonably new professional county we don’t have the history of people’s grandads and dads supporting Durham. We need to create that allegiance.”

In its first year, the foundation will see about £250,000 of investment, making the scheme worth up to £500,000 when players’ time and the use of existing facilities is included.

It was launched at the Riverside Ground, in Chester-le-Street, yesterday.

Some of the programmes have already begun, with many more due to get under way from September.

The programme’s main community partner is the Esh Charitable Trust.

Brian Manning, from the trust, said: “We are very pleased to be supporting the Durham County Cricket Foundation.

We hope that together we can make a significant difference to many people across the North-East.”

Mr Foster said: “We are delighted that Esh Charitable Trust has pledged its support as our main partner.”

Durham gained First-Class county status in 1991 and won the County Championship for the first time last year.