LEIGH is to share almost £1million from the lottery good causes fund to be spent on developing a healthier community.

The £984,852 jackpot - shared with Wigan - will be used to develop health cafes, cook and taste sessions, a walk-in therapy centre and fund 10 community champions in the borough's most deprived areas.

Leigh is one of six areas in the country celebrating grants for Healthy Living Centre Initiatives totalling over £5 million which have been announced this week by the lottery's New Opportunities Fund.

The bonus will benefit residents in the Northwest Coalfield Regeneration Area, which includes chunks of Journal-land and will form part of the council's Our Healthier Borough strategic plan. The project will be led by a consortium headed by Wigan and Leigh Council for the Voluntary Sector.

Chief executive, Elaine Schofield, said: "This is fantastic news. It will enable us to promote community based activities which will combat health inequalities."

The grant will also fund the training of 10 community champions who will work on a voluntary basis to increase community participation in health initiatives and take up of health services.

Wigan and Leigh College has also received £75,000 from the New Opportunities Fund to help lone parents and the jobless. The money will be used to provide information and communications technology in nine centres covering 12 deprived wards.