PENDLE has scooped £1.7million of lottery money in less than four years, it was revealed by the borough's MP this week.

Gordon Prentice quizzed culture minister Chris Smith about the art projects that had benefited his constituency and was delighted to hear that Pendle had received 35 awards amounting to £1, 716, 879 from the National Lottery since May 1997.

The awards included £220, 605 to the Hospice Care for Burnley and Pendle, which will help build on current services by providing a 24-hour homecare service.

The lottery fund's out of school hours childcare programme has awarded £27,000 to the Lakeview Children's Nursery, which will create 60 before and after-school place for children aged between five and 14.

Seventeen projects, which include tree planting and murals, received Millennium Awards totalling £25, 218 and the English Heritage has offered £40,000 for schemes in Higherford, £40,000 for Primet Bridge, in Colne, and £68,000 for Nelson.

Mr Prentice said: "There are also a huge amount of other initiatives that benefit us in Pendle. The money will make a real difference."