MALVERN and District Orienteers are celebrating the New Year in style, having been given enough money to buy their own equipment.

The group, known locally by its initials MADO, has been awarded maximum grants by two organisations - £1,000 from the BBC's Sport Relief and £5,000 from the National Lottery's Awards for All.

The money means it will be able to build on the success of a series of recent introductory events by establishing a monthly mini-league. The first of these new events will be on Castlemorton Common on Saturday, January 14.

Organisers Lester and Lynden Hartmann said they were thrilled with the success of their family-friendly taster sessions, held on the hills and commons towards the end of last year.

"The response was amazing. Over the autumn, we had nearly 1,000 attendances by about 500 people. To date, around 60 have joined our club, which probably makes Malvern the orienteering capital of England," said Mrs Hartmann.

MADO is a division of the Harlequins Orienteering Club and has staged events using grants from Malvern Hills District Council, the British Orienteering Federation and Wye Orienteering Club.

Mrs Hartman said the new grants would be used to buy equipment, including the electronic gadgetry that logs people's checkpoint times and collates timings and results.

The equipment will be stored locally, making it easier for MADO to stage its own events in future.

"We're already looking for new areas to map," said Mrs Hartmann.

The mini-league events will be held on Saturdays and consist of four courses, followed by basic coaching from 2pm-3pm for those who want to learn more.

MADO wants to broaden its appeal and encourage local runners and ramblers to get involved.

"It can be incredibly athletic or more relaxed and recreational. It's for all ages, abilities and levels of fitness," said Mrs Hartmann.

MADO also hopes to revive the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Schools Championships at Eastnor in March.

Anyone who would like more information about the Malvern mini-league should visit the MADO website at www.mado.org or call 01684 577062.