A TOTAL of £22,500 has been given to two organisations in the Eden Valley to secure community jobs and services.

Cumbria County Council's cabinet voted to award the grants to Melmerby and Fellside Village Shop and Little Treasures Nursery at Morland after discussing the funding for community projects to safeguard jobs, support the local economy and help provide services to people in Cumbria.

A grant of £7,500 was given for Little Treasures Nursery at Morland to build a new purpose-built classroom within the grounds of the Morland CE Primary School. The grant will help safeguard two full-time jobs, help create 14 additional nursery places and secure 14 others.

A further grant of £15,000 was given to Melmerby and Fellside Village Shop, Melmerby, to help the scheme run the shop as a self-financing community enterprise within three years. The grant will create one full-time and two part-time jobs, open a shop and post office and bring an empty building back into use.

The shop, once open, will be the first community run shop in Cumbria. Following the closure of the village's local post office 21 months ago, residents came together to form the Melmerby and Fellside Shop Committee. Its chairman, Robin Bullough, said: "A feasibility study was carried out by Jennie Stokell, retail consultant, with active involvement from local residents. The study included questionnaire to every household in Melmerby, Gamblesby and Ousby. The overall positive response from villagers and conclusions of the retail adviser were that the shop was viable.

"A public meeting was held and steering group formed to take initiative forward. We have registered as an Industrial and Provident Society, a type of community co-operative, and in order to fund the establishment of the shop, we are offering shares to local residents, as well as applying to grant-making bodies."

The group is looking to raise £10,000 through the sale of shares. Everyone who has a share is a member but no matter how many shares an individual holds, there will only be one member, one vote. At present, shares are only available to people living in Melmerby, Gamblesby and Ousby, but this is under review and could soon be rolled out to include other neighbouring fellside villages.