MORE than 500 people had their say on how £20,000 in public money should be spent.

Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP) held its second annual It’s Up To You event at Durham Town Hall on Saturday (November 8).

Residents and workers in the AAP area were given the chance to vote on which of 19 community projects should receive support.

Ten schemes were chosen, each of which will get £2,000.

The first five winners were, in descending order of votes cast: Laurel Avenue Community Centre for a music and singing project, Blind Life in Durham to teach visually impaired people to use computers, King’s Church to expand its befriending service for the elderly and housebound, Durham Pointers to train volunteers to deal with disability issues and Durham Foodbank to buy more collection bins and cover running costs.

The other five winners were: St Margaret’s Centre for computers for an employment and training programme, Durham and Gilesgate Youth and Community Association for an Easter sports camp, County Durham Stroke Club for exercise equipment, 1st Belmont Church Scout Group for camping equipment and Durham Indoor Bowling Club to buy disabled bowling equipment.

AAP chair Colin Wilkes said: “The event was attended by over 500 people so as chair of the AAP I’m delighted with the turnout and congratulate the ten projects who will each receive £2,000 towards their given project.

“Commiserations to the other nine projects who didn’t make it. It was clearly a very difficult decision for the voting public.

“We look forward to hearing shortly about the difference this funding has made to the ten projects.”