MORE than 60 Lancashire voluntary and community organisations will share a £3.5million funding boost for skills and training.

The new National Lottery-funded Changing Futures programme aims to help up to 1,000 people in disadvantaged groups find work.

The partnership of 62 organisations involved include: Lancashire Women’s Centres, in Accrington; Blackburn’s Bootstrap Enterprises; Burnley’s Pennine Lancashire Community Farm;. Haslingden Community Link in Haslingden; Blackburn’s THOMAS (Those on the Margins of Society) project; the Lancashire BME Network in Accrington; and Burnley-based New Era.

The scheme is the third project under the ‘Building Better Opportunities’, jointly funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund and co-ordinated by the social enterprise Lancashire network, Selnet.

It is focused on areas where there are high levels of poverty and targets black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, as well as women, people with physical and/or mental health issues and learning difficulties.

Liz Tapner, chief executive at Selnet, said: “Securing this funding is a major achievement for the partnership.

“I believe it will truly make a difference to lives.

“Selnet’s cost for managing this project are kept to a minimum so more of the money goes to the partners at a grassroots level.

“While there is already services in Lancashire to help people who are out of work but there are some people who have significant challenges in their lives and we’re here to help.”