COMMUNITY groups working with children and young people in the Newton Aycliffe area can apply for grants of up to £1,000.

Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership (Gamp) and the Pioneering Care Partnership will launch the Small Grants Fund at the What’s Great in Newton Aycliffe and Middridge? event next month.

The new funding pot is aimed at providing activities for children and young people.

Local groups are encouraged to pick up an application pack at the event, on Saturday, November 8, from 10am until 2pm, at Newton Aycliffe Youth & Community Centre in Burn Lane.

As well as the launch of the funding scheme, the event will see a large range of groups promote the services and activities they offer in the community.

Those expected so far include Age UK, Life Line Community Action, Greenfield Arts, the police and fire services, and Great Aycliffe Town Council, which will be consulting on its neighbourhood plan.

Many groups will stage demonstrations and offer free taster sessions.

Gamp will also ask residents to vote for the priorities they believe should be addressed in the community over the next year.

These views will help the area action partnership decide how to spend its £120,000 annual budget.