Two Chester community centres and a Frodsham play area will benefit from National Lottery funding totalling almost £580,000.

Mollington, Backford and District Village Hall will receive a whopping £492,000 to create a new community hub that will be enjoyed by people from the five surrounding villages.

The funding will see the existing Horsa Hut replaced with a new building which is larger and more accessible.

This new hub will be ‘a friendly and welcoming space’ where people can meet and take part in a range of activities. In addition to the regular classes and social events already on offer, new skills and wellbeing sessions will be provided.

General view of the main hall in St Marys Handbridge Centre.

Meanwhile, St Mary’s Handbridge Centre, Chester, has been awarded £78,000 to furnish the newly-constructed centre that will host groups of all ages and interests.

Funding will be used to pay for new furniture and equipment for the bathroom, kitchen and community rooms.

The centre, which has been designed in consultation with local people, will be used by local history enthusiasts, lunch clubs and mother and toddler groups.

Frodsham Town Council receives nearly £10,000 to install an outdoor gym at its Park Lane Play Area with the aim of encouraging residents to become more active.

Frodsham Park Lane Play Area
Frodsham Park Lane Play Area

James Harcourt, England grant-making director at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Whether in a village, town or city, National Lottery funding is helping to make a difference, bringing communities together to help people lead happier and healthier lives.

“It’s wonderful to see our funding going towards improving spaces at the heart of communities to be enjoyed by everyone. These projects show what great things can be achieved when people work together to tackle the things that really matter to their community.”

Cheshire has been awarded more than £864,000 National Lottery funding this quarter. It will be shared between 38 community-focused projects and provide much-needed services and support for county residents.

But the big winners from the funding announcement are Cheshire’s community spaces which collectively have been awarded more than £600,000, benefiting 13 projects including village halls, outdoor gyms and sensory gardens.

The North West as a whole is receiving £8.4 million, which is being distributed across 423 community projects and organisations.

The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year it awarded almost £713m and supported almost 14,000 projects across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.

The total pot being made available to groups across England this quarter is £45 million.

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