The North York Moors National Park is asking the public to come up with new projects that will benefit the rural area.

More than £2.6m of funding - provided by the North York Moors Coast and Hills LEADER programme, which secured money from Defra and the EU through Yorkshire Forward - will be available from now until 2013.

Potential projects will need to meet one or more of 12 priorities, which fall into three main themes - sustainability, conservation and enhancement and village renewal and development.

A Local Action Group of more than 80 individuals will provide a steer with an executive of 16 appointed and elected members making decisions on where the funding will be allocated.

Malcolm Bowes, chair of the North York Moors Coast and Hills LEADER Executive, said: "The LEADER programme is an excellent opportunity to fund lots of different local initiatives and try new ways of tackling issues within communities."

The application process consists of two stages. The first stage is the completion of a "project idea form" and if it fulfils the criteria, a full application can be submitted.