SCHOOLS in South Lakeland and Furness have learned they are on the last lap of a race to bag a slice of £4.6m pounds of sports facility funding.

Sporty types and couch potatoes alike could benefit from the cash to be stumped up by the New Opportunities Fund for facility upgrades and new initiatives open to the whole community.

Thirteen schools, including Cartmel Priory School, Millom School and Dowdales School, Dalton, have been shortlisted to bid for funding for projects ranging from cricket wickets to games areas and sports halls.

Ullswater Community College and Hawes End Centre, Keswick, will be invited to bid for funds towards the creation and remodelling of outdoor adventure facilities, while John Ruskin School and Dallam School are on a reserve list with separate bids for sports halls.

Council chiefs at Cumbria County Council announced the shortlist this week following a recent six-hour debate in which more than £ 29m of bidding proposals were whittled down to the final few.

Those included Cartmel Priory School's £670,000 bid for a sports hall, Millom School's £435,000 bid for an all weather pitch, and Dowdales School's £627,000 bid for a sports hall.

CCC's Asset Management Group, which made the selection, had to take into account geographical area, community health and social inclusion.

Cartmel Priory head teacher Clive Peaple said: "It is wonderful news.

We don't want to get everyone too excited about it yet because it is still at an intermediate stage but there is a huge need for this facility."

Cumbria county councillor Peter Jackson, of Grange-over-Sands, said: "I am absolutely delighted about the news and particularly pleased to hear Cartmel Priory School's bid has been included in the shortlist.

The facility will benefit the whole community."

Cabinet education spokeswoman Joan Stocker said if the bids prove successful the money could improve both pupils' health and the standard of sport but improve also community links.

The next phase of the bidding process will see the project subject to detailed development along with accompanying business plans for submission to NOF from late 2002.