A THREATENED community fund which has supplied vital cash for a wide range of projects has been saved from extinction.

North Yorkshire County Council has stepped in to save the county's Small Project Fund, which has been operating successfully for a number of years.

The fund gives grants to communities for various small-scale projects including improvements to village halls, community group schemes, recreation facilities and economic and tourism initiatives.

In the past the main source of the funding has been the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward which in turn inherited the scheme from the old Rural Development Commission.

However, Yorkshire Forward funding will come to an end in six weeks' time and the county council has now resolved to plug the gap.

Members have agreed to provide £40,000 to keep the fund going for at least another year. They also plan to open discussions with other organisations on the fund's long-term future.

The authority's executive member for economic development, Carl Les, said yesterday: "The small project fund has delivered real benefits to local communities across North Yorkshire.

"In the case of rural communities, a small amount of money can make a real difference and the county council is putting resources into the fund to keep it going for another year during which time its future can be assessed."

In the past the small project fund has had an annual budget of £40,000 and has given grants of up to £1,000. Over the last financial year a total 67 projects were approved, which had the knock-on effect of enabling another £137,000 of funding to be accessed by the communities concerned.

The projects have included one at a home for mentally-handicapped in Pickering, where the multi-sensory room at the home was extended into the garden to provide a safe environment for residents

Others that have benefited include Westfields Tennis Club in Richmondshire, Brompton Church near Scarborough and the Nidderdale Arts Bus.