Art and sporting projects are being developed into the future for young people in the Maldon district.

In order to develop the youth arts classes and make them sustainable beyond the life of the three-year funding from Essex County Council, 6,000 promotional leaflets have been produced and distributed to all district schoolchildren from Year Six upwards, the Youth Service, libraries and tourist information centres.

Attendance at the established classes is growing, said community and leisure services manager, Averil Spencer, in a report to the community and leisure services committee on Tuesday.

She added: "For example, the number attending the Maldon drama class has almost trebled in a year and the Maldon dance class has 35 participants. "A new drama class will open soon in Burnham."

Other art activities planned include the creation of a large mosaic artwork to commemorate the millennium carried out with five primary schools, the Lower Plume and artist, Anne Schewegmann-Fielding.

On the sporting front 14 primary schools have joined the TOP Play and BT Top Sport Schemes which enable them to receive free training, equipment and resources.

Through a partnership with Budgens store equipment bags and six sets of resource cards will also be provided to nurseries and playgroups.

A TOP Start Awareness day is also planned later next year.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.