MORE after-school drama, dance and sport is to be provided across York and North Yorkshire with the announcement today of an £800,000 Lottery cash boost.

The biggest grant announced today by the lottery's New Opportunities Fund, of £737,000, will go on extending a scheme which already sees a big arts van visiting different areas of North Yorkshire.

The van travels around, staying for a few weeks in each location, and its crew helps teenagers make videos, record music, devise computer generated music and animation, try DJ-ing, as well as having a go at puppetry, costume design, drama, dance and art.

Chris McGee, North Yorkshire County Council's head of continuing education, said the extra cash meant the van would now extend its activities to work with primary school children and younger teenagers.

The cash will pay for visits to 14 primary schools and 17 secondary schools.

Mr McGee said eight staff worked on the scheme and they would work with teachers and youth workers both before and after the van's stay.

All the grants announced today were aimed at boosting confidence for young people through after-school activities.

Mr McGee said: "So far this scheme has gone extremely well. There is a fair body of research evidence that performing arts in particular are a very helpful way of enabling young people to express themselves and we've certainly found that to be the case."

He said in one example, teenagers in Northallerton who wanted a skate park in their area had made a video with the help of the project which they showed to people in authority.

"The key thing with Connecting Youth Culture is that the initiative comes from the children and young people themselves."

Other grants went to four York schools for out-of-school activities ranging from music and sports, to literacy, maths and information and communication technology (ICT).

Burnholme Community College is to get £42,650, Burton Green Primary School in Clifton will get £10,500, Derwent Infant School in Tang Hall will get £11,000 and St Lawrence's CE Primary in Heslington Road will get £11,100.

Updated: 10:23 Thursday, August 23, 2001