MORE than £1.5m is to be invested in children's projects in an underprivileged area of the region.

The charity NCH has awarded a series of cash grants to be spent in Tameside. The biggest single grant of £315,000 will be spent on setting up a school mentors scheme to help pupils with bad behaviour and poor performance.

Thirty other projects will get a share of the money, including £8,000 to set up a breakfast clue and £60,000 for a junior fire cadet scheme.