TWO boroughs in East Lancashire have cashed in on a total of £170,000 from a new 'green kitty' to spend on community projects to improve the environment.

The new community-based environmental charity for Hyndburn, the Prospects Foundation, has secured £120,000 and £50,000 is going to Groundwork Rossendale to support the community clean-up efforts of Haslingden Environment Trust.

The awards from the newly established LWS Lancashire Environmental Fund were presented by TV botanist David Bellamy.

Hyndburn's slice is the largest single approval of funding in the county in the first round of awards.

Around half will be spent as 'pump-priming' cash to help with the costs of a series of community projects across the borough.

These include the creation of a tree nursery in Oswaldtwistle, a series of environmental improvements at Bank Mill Fields, Great Harwood, and environmental works at Woodnook Vale which runs from Baxenden to Accrington.

The rest of the money will be used over three years to pay the salary and other costs of a Community Project Officer. The new officer, hoped to be in post by the end of the year, will work with the eight Prospects Panels in Hyndburn and other groups to help them develop and carry out their own projects and obtain funding from other sources.

The bid was based on the efforts of all the Prospects Panels who have developed local projects such as the creation of a nature trail, hedgerow regeneration, a school nature area, a local community compost/food growing project, and woodland management.

In Rossendale cash will be invested in improving an area of neglected woodland in Charles Lane, Haslingden; and landscaping, car parking and seating at a semi-derelict site in Prospect Hill Terrace, Haslingden.

The LWS Lancashire Environmental Fund was set up by Lancashire Waste Services, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Lancashire County Council and the Community Council for Lancashire to distribute the landfill tax credits of LWS, who run Whinney Hill tip and are the largest landfill operators in Lancashire.

Under the landfill tax scheme they have to collect a tax for every load of waste tipped and pay it on to the government.

They can choose to divert up to 20 per cent of this tax to environmental bodies. The county council is paying the ten per cent.

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