Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), which was awarded a five year contract as the parent body for the Sellafield site, has announced that it will provide £500,000 a year to support community activity in West Cumbria.

The money which will be available to local organisations from April 2009 will be administered in conjunction with the Cumbria Community Foundation.

Tom Zarges, the Chairman of the Sellafield Parent Body Organisation, said: "I am proud to announce that NMP will be donating £2.5 million over the next 5 years to charitable causes in West Cumbria and we have opened discussions with the Cumbria Community Foundation as to how this may be best managed. The Cumbria Community Foundation has a track record of utilising these types of funds to best effect and we will be working with them to ensure that optimum benefit is achieved for those areas, groups and individuals most in need in West Cumbria and that it does not duplicate existing efforts."

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Andy Beeforth, Director of the Cumbria Community Foundation, said: "We welcome this commitment and look forward to working with NMP on the management and direction of this very considerable sum. We have been looking to make a major step-up in our activity and this will help us achieve that."

(CD)