A FUNDING boost has helped to pay for an improved look to the entrance of a Tyne Valley village.

Haydon Bridge Development Trust has purchased new stone entrance signs for the village, using a grant from the Co-op Local Community Fund.

The Co-op Local Community Fund helps pay for local projects that members care about.

Approximately £8,000, spread across three grants, has been awarded to the Haydon Bridge Development Trust.

Haydon Parish Council also contributed some money to the projects.

The first grant was used to pay for improvements to flower beds round the village, while the third was used to pay for a new picnic area at the riverside.

Ian Foster, a director of the development trust, said: “The objective of the trust is to make the village more welcoming for visitors and residents.

“We’re very grateful to the Co-op. It’s a good place in the community and it’s a good shop.

“We’ve always had entry signs but not nice ones. These create a sense of place.

“It was also an opportunity to update the picnic area – the new benches are accessible by wheelchair, and we’ve never had barbecues there before.”