A £1m project has been unveiled to help community groups become more enterprising.

The European Union has given £512,000 to regeneration company Huddersfield Pride to help voluntary groups in the Crosland Moor, Deighton and Newsome areas.

The cash will be added to existing regeneration funds, to provide a total of £1.02m for the two-year programme, Encouraging Community Enterprise.

More than £138,000 will be allocated to helping set up new community groups.

Most of the cash - more than £890,000 - will go towards helping existing groups to develop.

Examples of voluntary groups that could benefit include community cafes, groups running computer training courses, clubs for old people from ethnic minorities or schemes to help disabled people into work.

The new programme will be run by Huddersfield Pride and Voluntary Action Kirklees.

The money will be used to pay for consultancy services and advice to help groups put their operations on a more business- like footing.

It is part of Government policies to foster enterprise among voluntary community groups and help them generate income for themselves, rather than rely solely on grants to keep going.

Details of the programme will be announced at a public meeting at 5.30pm on Monday, January 31, at the Hudawi Centre, Great Northern Street, Hillhouse.

The programme aims to help 60 local organisations between now and December, 2007.

It also aims to set up networks for groups with similar aims.

The targets also include helping more than 130 people without access to computers get technology training.

Huddersfield Pride director Teresa Butler said: "This is good news for the town.

"The funding enables us to continue the work we have been doing to support and encourage community enterprises.

"It also means we can help new and emerging community groups."