GROUPS in Kettlewell and Settle have been awarded more than £7,000 by the Lottery Awards for All fund.

Kettlewell Village Institute has received £5,000 to help build an extension to improve storage facilities at the hall, which at present consist of a damp cellar with limited hazardous access.

Geoff Queen, chairman of Kettlewell Village Institute, said the group was very grateful for the donation.

"Neither the church nor the school in Kettlewell has a hall, so the village hall, which is independent of these, serves all three," said Mr Queen.

"At the moment there is no storage space. We are going to have a small extension built on the back."

The project is likely to cost around £30,000, and already the community in Kettlewell has raised its share through the highly successful scarecrow festival which divides proceeds between the church, school and village hall.

Settle Orchestral Society has been awarded £2,139 to produce two performances of Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah with the Langcliffe Singers and four young soloists from Making Music's young soloists forum.

The orchestra's conductor Howard Rogerson will conduct the performances in Skipton's Christ Church on Saturday March 29 and Giggleswick School Chapel on Sunday April 6.

Society secretary Enid Pyrah said: "We are thrilled to bits. It shows that what we are doing is appreciated."

Tickets for the performances will be available from Time and Tune in Skipton, Cave and Crag and ArtiSans in Settle and High Bentham Post Office, or from members of the orchestra.