A FUNDING windfall will mean more money for a range of exciting arts projects.

The North West Arts Board will be giving the arts in the Leigh area an extra £25,000 over the next two years after a successful funding bid by Wigan Council's art team.

The cash is coming in two halves. The first portion has already been claimed for completing cultural activities in Hag Fold, Atherton.

The second half of the money will be used for research into the arts and to review arts services to assess their effectiveness and value.

It was also included that another important area to be looked at is disabled access to arts and what can be done to improve it.