GRANTS for community and environmental projects in the district have been announced by community charity Welcome to our Future.

Through its management of the Severn Waste Environmental Fund, the charity awarded grants totalling £68,156 to charitable and voluntary organisations across the two counties.

Choosing those whose projects demonstrated they furthered sustainable development through the involvement of their local communities and that the work they were planning would directly or indirectly benefit the environment.

The Environmental Fund receives financial contributions from county waste management contractor Severn Waste Services under the Landfill Communities Fund.

Castlemorton Parish Hall, near Malvern received £2,000 towards hall modernisation.

Others included The Hanleys Village Society, near Malvern, which received £1,000 towards a community sculpture art project.

St Gregory’s Church, Castlemorton, received £4,000 towards new toilet and kitchenette facilities and 1st Aston Ingham Scout Group, near Newent received £2,656 towards energy efficiency measures for its headquarters.

There was also a grant of £6,500 to Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust towards a new geology touch screen panel, interpretation panels and leaflets at Worcester’s new library and history centre The Hive in Worcester.

Severn Waste’s development director Ian Barber, said: “We are delighted to see such a wide range of projects in this round of funding applications. Community facilities, sports and recreation and the natural world all feature prominently, which is just what the Landfill Communities Fund is all about”.