A million pound bounty from a building society is something most people only dream about.

But that is the amount Provident Financial, the FTSE 250-listed Bradford company, intends to hand over this year to community projects.

It is an increase of £250,000 on its donations last year which helped 226 groups across the country, including the NSPCC.

In Bradford, four groups are currently benefiting from its money - Christians Against Poverty (CAP), Rhodesway School, the Quest for Economic Development (QED) and the Bridge Project - as well as the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds.

Community relations manager Brent Shackleton said the company's ethos was to establish a long term relationship with its projects and not just leave them to cope alone.

"We target communities where our customers work and live and we realise this is what big companies are doing nowadays," he said.

"Bradford probably gets a bit more money per head than the rest of the projects because that is where we are based.

"In all our schemes the aim is to talk to the groups and work with them on a long-term basis to see what we can offer, not just give the money and leave them to it."

One group which has certainly reaped tremendous benefits from the work of Provident is the Bridge Project, a charity that helps to rehabilitate drug users in the Bradford area.

The company's money helped to refurbish a gym, provide complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, and equip a young person's service.

Co-ordinator Geoff Hinds said: "Provident's contribution has been very important indeed.

"They've always taken the long-term approach. They talked to us for a long time before the grant was given to see what our needs were and what else they could do for us.

"It is very valuable for a local agency of our size because it adds to our credibility."

Backing from Provident Financial has proved invaluable to the bid by Rhodesway School, Allerton, to secure specialist arts college status from the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE).

Head of art and design Ian Morrel(corr) said: "We had to raise £50,000 ourselves for the bid and Provident gave us a significant sum of money to go towards that amount.

"If we are successful, classrooms will be refurbished with money given to the school specifically for the arts college."

The link up is not the company's first foray into the arts. Last year it took students from the Immanuel College and Carlton Bolling School, along with others around the country, to the National Portrait Gallery as part of its Face to Face initiative.

In addition to the 42 schools involved in the trip, another 400 were sent education materials on art at the gallery to use in lessons.

Mr Shackleton said: "These materials can be used by the school indefinitely. It's not just about doing something for one day but keeping the relationship going."

Work with the Bradford-based CAP, which helps families in financial need, has been ongoing for three years and in 2000 saw Provident help 191 of the charity's clients.

Provident's other community links include the West Yorkshire Playhouse where its three-year relationship has enabled the theatre to build a cyber caf to be used by children and to fund programmes in schools.

The relationships have provided huge benefits to a number of needy groups in Bradford and beyond.

And a bonus for Provident staff involved is that they, according to Mr Shackleton, are given experiences they might never otherwise have encountered.