ARTS groups in Bolton are set to take-off following grants from Manchester Airport.

A total of £30,000 from the airport's Arts Sponsorship Fund has been awarded to two local organisations and to Bolton Council's arts '"pot."

The Octagon theatre has received £15,000 to perform "All of You Mine", a contemporary play, by an award-winning writer, set in a small northern pit town and produced in-house. Written by Richard Cameron the play will be directed by Mark Babych.

All of You Mine is described as a family drama and mystery. The Cade family hides a guilty secret and a buried truth about a devastating pit accident which happened in 1984. The old pit is now a flourishing garden centre and flowers cover the slurry. However, a Sunday memorial reunites the family and old antagonisms are brought back to life.

The play will be staged at the Octagon from May 3 to 26.

Last year the airport donated a similar amount towards the cost of the Octagon's production of Return to the Forbidden Planet, which was performed in June.

The airport is also sponsoring this year's Bolton Festival with a grant of £10,000 and will feature a wide range of events from art exhibitions and the Victorian street fair to opera and jazz. A further £5,000 has been awarded to Bolton Council.

"These grants are a welcome boost to the local arts scene," said Councillor Bob Howarth, Leader of Bolton Council and Bolton's Director on the Airport board.

"The Airport has a well established sponsorship programme for the arts across the Greater Manchester region and beyond. It's all part of supporting the local community.

"Last year the Octagon won the Best Production and Best Design Team awards at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards and has an important place in the town.

"Equally the Festival is the major arts event in the Borough. We're delighted to have been able to support these important organisations."

"The airport is a very successful company, publicly owned by the ten councils in Greater Manchester. With the opening of the new £170 million runway there will be more services for the people in the North instead of

having to trail to Heathrow or Gatwick. Last year 18 and a half million people used it and this could double in 15 years time. It is probably the major single economic driver in the North West bringing a range of benefits to Bolton, including paying dividends," he added.

MORE than £544,000 has been allocated to eight arts organisations across the North West in the latest round of Regional Arts Lottery Programme awards.

This amount marks the biggest allocation of money by North West Arts Board from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme 2000-2002.

The programme funds organisation who can provide enjoyment as well as education, through the arts, to communities across the North West.

Among those receiving money in the latest round of grants was the Walk the Plank project in Salford. More than £70,000 was received to help fund Britain's only touring theatre ship.

Groups interested in applying for funding should contact Greer Roberts, Lottery Administrator on 0161 827 9233. Awards