MICKLEFIELD and Wycombe Marsh are set to benefit from a £1m windfall after the areas were chosen as beneficiaries of a Lottery community scheme.

The High Wycombe areas will receive at least £1m from the Big Lottery Fund's Big Local Trust programme, which is investing up to £200m over the next decade in about 150 neighbourhoods across the country.

Micklefield and Marsh were targeted because they are deemed to be 'places where people face social obstacles and have a history of difficulty in obtaining resources'.

Fund region head Alison Rowe said: “The trust is a dedicated Lottery funding stream to help people in neighbourhoods such as Micklefield and Marsh to identify local issues and to develop the skills and confidence necessary to change things for the better.

“We hope that by securing funding for the long-term and by offering a commitment to providing dedicated local support, the trust will bring lasting positive changes to Micklefield and Marsh and its residents.”

Lottery bosses will now be working with the community to set up an independent charitable trust to decide where the money should be spent, and is calling for community organisations to register an interest in becoming a fund trustee.

BIG will then announce its preferred candidate to run the trust by June 2011. Groups interested in running the trust have until Thursday, August 12 to contact BIG.

Cllr Julie Pritchard said: "This is an exciting and excellent opportunity for people to get involved in projects that can make a real difference to the community and a huge difference to those in the wider community.

"It's the sort of thing that Micklefield does well - the community working for the benefit of the community."

Visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk for more information and to an register interest.