SCHOOLS in York, North and East Yorkshire could be in with a chance of winning £400 by coming up with innovative projects to improve rivers.

The Evening Press has teamed up with Yorkshire Water to encourage people to take care of river courses in North Yorkshire and the East Riding in the River Rescue project.

The competition is not only open to schools but any kind of charitable organisation, including Scouts and Guides, residents' associations, rowing clubs or environmental groups.

Organisations with more than five members are asked to submit projects which, in some way benefit the region's river courses.

The ideas can be as simple as producing information boards on river issues or providing speakers to talk to groups about rivers.

They can also be more ambitious, such as cleaning a stretch of river or creating disabled access on river banks for tourists.

A panel of judges from Yorkshire Water and the Evening Press will select the best ideas which will then receive £400 from Yorkshire Water to help the project along.

The scheme will be run for six months, meaning there will be even more chances for groups to be successful.

Projects which are not successful the first time round will be put forward and considered with the next batch.

Yorkshire Water's Rivercare manager, Karen O'Rourke, said: "Even if you do not think what you are doing is worthy, apply anyway.

"Someone has to win and some people think what they are doing is just normal, when in fact it might be wonderful."

Your idea could be one of the following or something completely different:

- Produce a plan to clean up a stretch of river or river bank

- Provide training to members of their group on river issues

- Open up an overgrown footpath on a river bank

- Make access for disabled anglers

- Place litter bins along a stretch of river

- Provide an expert for a child's river-based lessons.

Director of Yorkshire Water's waste water business unit, Graham Dixon, said: "The rivers in Yorkshire are now of better quality than they have been for hundreds of years, but a lot of people aren't aware of what's going on their doorstep.

"A project could be something like pulling prams and trolleys out of a stretch of river, or improving the safety, as long as it helps people to appreciate the river environment."

Updated: 10:14 Wednesday, November 20, 2002