Grants ranging from £3,000 to £147,000 will go to a wide range of schemes - from community radio stations to developing materials which encourage fathers to read with their children.

Many of the projects aim to improve adults' basic literacy and numeracy skills, and as a consequence make them more employable.

They are the first beneficiaries of the Adult and Community Learning Fund, launched last August, which will see a total of £15m being spent over the next three years.

The fund is part of the government's drive to promote "lifelong learning" - the acquisition of knowledge and skills after formal education has been completed.

'Opportunities'

Education Minister Baroness Blackstone announced the first 64 grants.

"We want to use the Adult and Community Learning Fund to show people who have been wary of learning in the past, or who feel excluded from society, how relevant it is to their lives," she said.

"I am confident these projects will do exactly this, providing opportunities for people to develop their skills and make a contribution to the local community.

"The fund operates on the basis that relatively small sums, carefully and imaginatively used, can make a very real difference to individuals and communities, and that locally-planned activities are the way to achieve this impact."