ETHNIC minority groups in Blackburn are to receive a £320,000 boost to help further integrate with East Lancashire society.

Blackburn with Darwen's education and lifelong learning department has won government funding to offer training, mentoring and development advice to voluntary and community groups across the borough.

A steering group, consisting of the Council for Voluntary Service, the Ethnic Minority Development Association and the Lancashire Council of Mosques, has been set-up to decide where the money could best be used.

A spokesman for the council said talks on how the money will be spent are at an early stage, but training and mentoring for community group members was expected to be high on the agenda.

The funding comes from the Home Office-led Race Equality Unit's 'Connecting Communities' project.

Blackburn with Darwen's bid for cash was the only one out of eight North West projects to be successful.

Coun Mahfooz Hussain, executive member for education and lifelong learning, said: "Many voluntary and community groups do a good job but are too small to tap into funding for training, skills development and mentoring which would help them enhance their work.

"This funding will help us link groups with bigger, more established organisations, to share experience and develop their skills.

"We will also be offering workshops and advice on bidding for funding, managing funds and different aspects of the organisation.

"It's a great opportunity to bring together a range of different organisations for the good of the whole community."

In total the Government has given £15 million under the Connecting Communities scheme to promote equality until the end of the 2005-06 financial year.