THOUSANDS of pounds in grant aid is available for youth groups and village halls in Derwentside.

The district council is urging groups to bid for the cash in the latest round of Government funding.

Grants ranging from £5,000 to £25,000 are available through the new Young Roots programme.

Part of the Heritage Lottery Fund, it offers cash for projects that involve youngsters aged 13 to 20 with their local heritage.

Elisabeth Allcorn, funding support officer at Derwentside District Council, said: "Derwentside has a wealth of local heritage and this new fund represents an ideal way of involving and educating young people in that heritage."

The Village Halls Programme, part of the Carnegie Trust, offers grants of up to £10,000 to villages with a population of less than 5,000.

The programme aims to widen the use of village halls as centres of services for the community. It is open to all village hall committees registered as charitable organisations and are affiliated to a rural community council.

For help on applying for either scheme, call (01207) 218302