PROJECTS to improve employment are among schemes totalling almost £500,000 lined up for Wear Valley and the surrounding area.

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

Among the projects are employment and training schemes to support the unemployed in their efforts to find 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 by Groundwork which 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 developed by the Coundon and Leeholme Youth Project.

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

Community technical aid workers will be brought in for Weardale and Bishop Auckland to help community groups 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.

"The community technical aid posts allow us to work with a variety of different community groups, and we are really finding out what people want."

Approximately £30,000 will be spent on an archaeology survey in Weardale.

The project will be organsied by the Weardale Society, in conjunction with English Heritage, the county archaeologist and the North East Vernacular Architectural Group.

Other projects 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 a site survey for Ashcroft Playground, Stanhope.