NORTH Yorkshire schools are being urged to put forward ideas to boost their sporting facilities and cash in on a £3.4m handout.

The county has been granted the provisional allocation through the New Opportunities for PE and Sport Programme, with the aim of providing better sporting facilities for young people and the community as a whole, said Chris McGee, head of the continuing education unit at County Hall.

Children aged between five and 16 will be the main beneficiaries, he said, but there would also be a wider community benefit.

"We have now set up an internal group to begin the process of preparing an application before the deadline of Monday, April 22," said Mr McGee.

"We are asking schools to come forward with proposals which could benefit from the funding and we hope to have decisions by September."