SOME of Hyndburn's poorest neighbourhoods are to benefit from more than £1million of lottery money.

The windfall comes through Fair Share -- a partnership between the Community Fund (CF) and the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) that targets areas that have received the least lottery funding.

The Government announced last year that the two bodies would work together to support deprived areas of the country that had not received their fair share of lottery cash.

Part of a £139 million nationwide package, and £40 million in the North West, £1,135,332 has been allocated to Hyndburn to help strengthen local communities, tackle disadvantage and improve quality of life.

Applications for funding have already started coming in, and community groups in Hyndburn are being invited to bid for grants for projects that address local concerns.

Hyndburn Borough Council leader Councillor Ian Ormerod, welcomed the news and encouraged groups to get their bids in.

"This is excellent news for Hyndburn," he said.

"We have long campaigned and said that we were under-funded by the lottery.

"The Government has recognised this and put their money where their mouth is. It's up to our communities now to make the bids."

Angela Burrows, grants business manager of the North West office of the Community Fund, said: "We are trying to provide funding to voluntary and charitable organisations who are working to tackle social and economic problems and who can run projects to improve the lives of the disadvantaged."

Diana Brittan, CF chairman, said: "We are pleased that we are already receiving applications from some of the areas that have not received their fair share in the past.

"We know that there are many parts of the country where it will take effort on our part to reach the most disadvantaged communities with the funds that they need, but we will put that effort in."

For more information on eligibility and how to apply log on to the NOF website at www.nof.org.uk.