A CHARITY providing work opportunities for people with learning disabilities is one step closer to moving to new premises after receiving a £150,000 grant.

The money from Yorkshire Forward means Northallerton-based charity Chopsticks can now invite tenders from contractors for its new building on the Darlington Road Industrial Estate in the town.

Earlier this year it secured a 650sq metre site to expand its kindling production with a new workshop and was granted planning permission shortly afterwards.

It also received a grant for £50,000 from North Yorkshire County Council's Learning Disabilities Development Fund and a part-grant, part-loan funding package from the Adventure Capital Fund worth £230,000.

The charity's Buy a Brick Appeal, where people can buy a brick for the new building for £5, raised £2,000. And a grant for £8,000 was given to Chopsticks just before Christmas by Darlington and Stockton Times editor Malcolm Warne on behalf of the Gannett Foundation - the charitable wing of the newspaper's parent company.

The charitable administrator for Chopsticks, David Stockport, said: "We are all very excited. It is a project that has been going on for over three years and finally it is all coming together so that we can actually get on with the building.

"Until we get the tender we don't know what the cost of the project is, but we estimate it will be in the region of £600,000.

"We intend to start the tender process next week and we are projecting it being finished and us having a new building to move into by March 2007."

Chopsticks chairman Councillor John Coulson said: "It's from the help of many many people that we have actually got to this stage.

"I cannot express how thankful we are and when the building is up and running we will be thanking people even more.

"We are delighted we got to this stage and very mindful of the help that has got us here."

Coun Coulson agreed with Mr Stockport's projection that Chopsticks would be at its new premises by next March.

"The site is there and we have got planning permission," he said. "It is all ready to go. We have got a package together and subject to getting a builder on board I'm quite confident about March 2007.