FAMILIES attending two special half-term events are the first to benefit from New Deal for Communities cash in Hartlepool.

The Government Office for the North-East recently approved funding for several "early win" schemes, including Family Learning Weeks at Lynnfield and Stranton Primary Schools.

The five-day events include elements of literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology and recreation, all organised with fun in mind.

Hartlepool was one of 22 towns and cities invited to apply for money through the £800m New Deal for Communities (NDC) initiative, which aims to tackle deprivation in Britain's poorest communities.

During a ten-year period, tens of millions of pounds could be available to benefit an area called West Central Hartlepool, which covers almost 4,500 households.

The town's NDC steering group is drawing up a formal delivery plan and hopes to be given the go-ahead to start putting its full programme of proposals into effect from next April.

In the meantime, the Government Office for the North-East has approved the Family Learning Weeks and four other "early win" schemes, which are designed to have an immediate impact in the NDC area.

They include installation of security alleygates to restrict backstreet access and protect homes from break-ins; a supervised community play area; and a community chest offering a flexible fund of money to assist community groups or individuals in their regeneration activities