GOOD causes have scooped a £325,000 jackpot in the latest lottery share-out.

The National Lottery Charities Board has announced grants of £11.3 million for 190 charity groups in the North West.

And several organisations in Blackburn, Darwen and Hyndburn are celebrating early Christmas presents.

Blackburn Racial Equality Council gets the biggest award in East Lancashire with a whopping £129,000.

Delighted chairman Rafique Malik said the money would be used to pay for two staff and fund a three-year project to combat racial harassment and promote racial harmony in the borough.

The lottery cash will pay for an anti-racism officer and an administrative assistant. Their work will be targeted on "inner city" wards of Blackburn such as Bank Top, Brookhouse, Bastwell and Queen's Park.

"We will also be dealing with complaints of racial harassment from anywhere in Blackburn and Darwen," said Mr Malik.

"It will be a twin-track approach and we will be promoting functions such as sporting and social events where we will work in partnership with the local authority and other community groups."

Old folk in Darwen are celebrating with an £88,000 grant to help build a day care centre in the town. The Darwen Old People's Welfare Association has been fund-raising for a centre to be built adjacent to their Derwent Hall premises.

"This is really good news. A day care centre is something we have needed here for a very long time," said chairman Jennie Whalley.

Chaigeley Manor, the children's holiday and convalescent home for Hyndburn, has been awarded £47,881 to buy a 30-seater coach to take youngsters out on day trips.

"We have been restricted in the past because of lack of our own transport and this is a tremendous lift for us," said chairman Derek Glover.

"It means we will be able to take children out into the countryside and organise things like camping trips."

Hyndburn Transport are to help staff find a suitable coach. "Next summer will certainly be a good one for children staying here," Mr Glover said.

Young homeless people in the Blackburn area will benefit from a £59,148 grant to the Nightsafe group. Nightsafe, which runs a hostel in the town, has been awarded the money to help set up a day centre at the Fuse Box, Pilkington Street.

"We are able to provide everything apart from day facilities for young people who are out of the job market," said Paula Kaniuk, Nightsafe manager.

"We will be able to provide life skills training such as help with cooking along with discussion groups. The aim of it will be to build confidence and get young people geared up for work or training."

A grant of £3,600 has been awarded to the Roman Road Women's Food Co-operative which provides low cost fruit and vegetables to people on the Blackburn estate.

The service offers free home delivery to elderly and housebound residents and the cash will be used for maintenance and running costs of the delivery van.

Other grants in East Lancashire were made to a battered wives group in Burnley and a holiday centre in Colne for disadvantaged women.

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