HUNCOAT is to get a new lick of paint with the allocation of a grant by the area council.

The village's residents association put in an application for £75 to purchase ladders, a steam stripper, paste table and brushes in order to help brighten up the area and this has now been approved.

Hyndburn Borough Council will have to endorse the scheme at the next full council meeting in December before the money is allocated, but the committee is already looking forward to sprucing the area up.

Linda Washington, office manager for Huncoat Residents Association, said: "We are concerned about the state of the estate and want to encourage people to move back in so this is helping in a small way to make the area more presentable.

"We know that some people are not able to do their own decorating - either because of old age, disability or simply a lack of money. So we decided that if we had the stuff as a group we could go out and do it for them.

"Although we can not promise changing rooms standards we have had several volunteers who can do the basics.

"All we would ask is for a small donation to the association which would help to fund future projects."

The group also put in a grant application for £174.96 to purchase gardening equipment including a cordless strimmer and hedge trimmer but the decision on this has been deferred until the next meeting in February.

Before that meeting Huncoat Forum chairman Geoff Coglan will look into the possibility of the Residents Association being able to borrow some of the gardening tools and equipment which have already been purchased by the Prospects Group in Church and Clayton.