Stockton voluntary groups get cash boost
Nine voluntary and community groups in a Teesside town have won a cash boost.
Stockton Council has allocated £125,000 from its newly-created Third Sector Investment Fund.
Organisations which have successfully bid for a share include a charity supporting the blind and a young people's outreach group.
The authority, which is run as a power-sharing agreement with a Conservative leader, is making a further £125,0000 available later in the year.
Groups will have a chance to bid for amounts of between £500 and £40,000.
Lesley King, Stockton Council's head of policy, performance and partnerships, said: "I am delighted we have been able to support these organisations and look forward to seeing the ideas they outlined in their bids take shape."