EAST Lancashire's rural communities are being urged to promote their hidden gems in a new scheme.

The Hidden Britain Centre project encourages local communities to identify tourist attractions within their villages and then to promote them.

Sites of interest could be historical or they could be business opportunities.

The project could see hamlets such as Wycoller in Pendle or Downham in the Ribble Valley getting help to promote all they have to offer to visitors.

The scheme, set up by the Arthur Rank Centre and backed by £20,000 from the Carnegie UK Trust, has been successfully piloted in Cumbria and is now being extended to the North West with a development officer being appointed in the New Year.

The Carnegie grant will help in this and provide financial help to local Hidden Britain Centre projects which will enable them to develop exhibition presentation materials, get training and learn about promoting their areas.

Gordon Gatward, Director of the Arthur Rank Centre said: "Hidden Britain Centres are all about economic and social regeneration through community action and development.

"Frequently centred on the local church as the heart of the village or the main attraction for visitors to an area, our pilot project in Cumbria has been a great success.

"We now have great hopes for the wider appeal of the project. It has been greatly enhanced by this generous support from the Carnegie Trust.

"We're extremely grateful for their help which will be of great benefit to rural communities across the north of the country."

The Carnegie UK Trust is one of Britain's oldest trusts, set up by Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish philanthropist in 1913. In recent years it has initiated influential national strategies relating to older people, youth participation, and the arts. It recently announced a new £4million initiative to promote community development in villages and rural areas though a new Carnegie Rural Development Commission.