GROUPS working with disadvantaged children have been given £89,400 in new funding from BBC Children in Need.

The grants are part of the charity’s small grants programme and bring the total invested in Worcestershire to more than £940,000.

Recipients of the latest funding include Worcester Community Trust, which has been given a three-year grant of £30,000 to provide a youth club for disadvantaged children and young people living in areas of deprivation.

Cheryl Fereday, operations manager at Worcester Community Trust said: “Worcester Community Trust works in areas of highest need across Worcester City and works with children, young people and families to address issues affecting them such domestic abuse, unemployment and social isolation, supporting and empowering them to make positive changes for themselves, so a huge thank you to BBC Children in Need for their support.”

Riversides School has been awarded £30,000, delivered over three years, to provide mental health support to young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

Elizabeth Barrett, office manager at Riversides School said: “A massive thank you to BBC Children in Need for their support, which really will make a positive impact on the vulnerable young people we support. Our SEMH school works with children excluded from mainstream education who may have experienced troubling life events, and have had difficulty accessing school education due to high anxiety. Additional support, which raises their confidence, well-being and self-esteem really will make an enormous difference to their lives.” In Malvern, a three-year grant of £29,400 has been awarded to What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful to provide a play group and youth sessions for young people with a range of disabilities.

BBC Children in Need’s Chief Executive, Simon Antrobus said: “We’re delighted to be able to award these grants, thanks to the generosity of the British public. This funding will help to support disadvantaged children and young people right across the UK, giving them the chance to overcome the challenges in their lives and to reach their full potential.”

BBC Children in Need awards grants at seven points during the year and funds two types of grants, both of which are open to new or existing applicants. A Main Grants Programme is for grants over £10,000 per year to support projects for up to three years. Meanwhile, BBC Children in Need’s Small Grants Programme supports projects for up to three years, and includes grants up to and including £10,000 per year. Both of these programmes are currently open to applications.