A project to help harness the hands-on skills of older men in and around Wigton has received a funding boost, allowing it to carry on for the next year.

Men in Workshops was a scheme devised by Wigton-based charity the North Allerdale Development Trust (NADT) and Age UK.

It is intended to use workshop-based skills that older generations might have and pass these on to younger people.

The project will now be able to carry on for the next 12 months after those involved impressed National Lottery funders with a trial run at the end of last year.

They have been handed cash from an "Awards for All" scheme to help fund the project.

The Men in Workshops idea, which runs from a base at the Wigton Free for All centre, has similarities with another scheme being run by the NADT called the Upcycle Project.

The Upcycle Project gives people the job of creating small items of furniture and home goods to sell, with all the profit going back into the project for materials and tools.

The two similar projects have already began to work alongside each other, with the men going along to the new scheme providing templates for items for the Upcycle Project.

Sandra Keaveney, from NADT, said: “We ran the pilot project at the back end of last year and we applied for some funding and we have been successful in that.

“Hopefully in the longer term the whole idea is to make both projects sustainable going forward.

"The idea is to cross over the skills into both.”

Sessions currently run fortnightly on a Wednesday afternoon and have so far been well attended.

* Anyone who is interested in going along can call NADT on 016973 44555 or Hazel Stewart, from Age UK, on 016973 42279.