Speaking at the Community Matters 'Making it Visible' seminar in London in December, Home Office Minister Paul Boateng announced that the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, Chris Smith, has asked the National Lottery Charities Board to draw up proposals for a pilot scheme to fund more community centres.

Referring to the recommendation of Policy Action Team 10 on Arts and Sports, Mr Boateng said ' We want community associations to play a vital role to ensure that such centres are accessible and meet the needs of the local community' He went on to say that community centres can provide a focal point for community involvement in local regeneration programmes, and that the community associations can provide the structures and the support for ;local people to engage in the process.

The Minister paid tribute to the work of community associations and the volunteers who run them. He spoke about the variety of roles they perform, the opportunity they provide for residents to have their voices heard, and the fact that that they make the community a more interesting and vibrant place to live.

The Minister also talked about the Government's priorities with regard to the regeneration of communities, the importance of building local democracy, the need to adequately resource community capacity building, and the objective to create a step change in the level of voluntary and community involvement.' We need to ensure that community associations and the communities they represent are at the hub of these initiatives'.

He also praised the work of the Community Matters in Carrying out research on the role of community associations in the 21st Century. He said ' We welcome the new vision and the message it gives about the willingness of community associations and local communities to work with government to revive their local neighbourhoods' Community Matters will be following up on the Ministers announcement of a pilot programme to fund more community centres.

Boldon Indoor Bowling Club and the Cleadon Archers have achieved success in their bid to renovate and upgrade their bowling and archery hall. Through hard work and persistence, and support from a number of funders, work has begun on creating new bowling rinks and an archery range.

FOCAST supported the groups in their bids and project planning. Deni Riach, Community Development Worker said 'Thishas been a real group effort from the beginning. Everyone has worked really hard over the past 9 months and it is brilliant to get the project underway.'

Thanks to the Kellett Fund, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, STMBC, Barbour, Northumbrian Water, North East Miners Welfare, Community Fund and Asda for their support.