CHILDREN in Rossendale will be getting snappy happy this week after a local church council received a grant to provide youngsters with cameras.

Members of St Thomas's Musbury Parochial Church Council received the grant of £3,624 from the National Lottery's Awards for All programme.

The grant will allow the PCC to give every child of primary school age, who attends one of the four schools in the parish, Tor View, Broadway, St Veronica's & Helmshore Primary a disposable camera, and will also cover the cost of processing.

The schools will be teaching the children how to use the camera as part of the curriculum, and then each child will be invited to submit one picture for a competition: "Life in Helmshore & Haslingden in 2002."

All the pictures submitted will go forward to an exhibition to be held at the parish church later this year before being archived by the local library service.

Vicar, Rev Norman Price, said: "We are delighted to receive this award.

"This is a large sum of money which will go towards helping 750 local children.

" We look forward eagerly to the final results, and hope all the children will benefit greatly from this experience."