THE first donation has been made from a £1m aid package for communities affected by foot-and-mouth disease.

The Northern Rock Foundation has given £180,000 to Debt Advice Within Northumberland, as part of a major initiative.

The cash will pay for four advice workers for three years, to assist people in the county resolve financial difficulties.

The charitable foundation decided to allocate this year's Big Project Fund towards those affected by the outbreak. Earlier this year, it announced that it would set aside £1m to address the problems in rural areas of the North-East and Cumbria.

Foundation trustees would like to hear from any charitable organisation providing services to people in areas affected by the disease.

A spokesman for the foundation said: "Many initiatives, for example, are having to put in more telephone lines, rent extra space to see clients or employ additional staff to cope with an increase in requests for help."

Grants will not be given to individuals, or organisations that give money to individuals.

No application forms are required, but charitable organisations are asked to write directly to the foundation outlining their proposals.

Applications should be sent to: The Northern Rock Foundation, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, 21 Lansdowne Terrace, Gosforth, Newcastle, NE3 1HP.

Read more about the foot-and-mouth crisis here.