AN East Lancashire charity will spearhead the battle against climate change after being awarded nearly £100,000 government cash.

Setpoint Lancashire, based at Walker Business Park, Guide, Blackburn, beat off competition from more than 400 organisations to become one of 28 projects awarded money.

Setpoint's project is intended to empower young people to communicate the threat of climate change to peers, families and regional communities through newsletters and websites.

The project will also establish Creativity in Science and Technology awards on the subject of climate change.

It will be run in partnership with Lancaster Environment Centre and Natural Environment Research Council's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

The £94,000 awarded to Setpoint forms part of £3.5million handed out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for similar projects.

Setpoint is a charity that aims to promote science and technology in schools.

Dr Barbara Tigar, manager of Setpoint, said she would be recruiting five schools in Lancashire and five in Cumbria.

"We want the children to become engaged in climate change, meeting role models doing research on the issues."

She said pupils would communicate their findings via newsletters and websites.

Announcing the handout environment and climate change minister Ian Pearson said it was important to develop new and exciting ways of communicating climate change so that new audiences and communities at national, regional and local level could understand the need to change their attitudes towards the issue.