THE latest community projects to win National Lottery funding have been announced.

Worcester will receive over £687,000 from the Big Lottery Fund for five projects.

Every year the Big Lottery Fund gives out millions of pounds to good causes, with money going to community groups and health, education and environment projects.

Worcester Community Trust will receive nearly £380,000 to fund Community Connectors – the most handed out to a project in Worcester.

The project will allow them to host drop-in sessions at the Horizon community centre and its hubs in Ronkswood, Dines Green, Warndon and Tolladine.

As we have reported Maggs Day Centre, the charity based in Deansway that specialises in the first steps of helping people get off the streets for good, supplying food and shelter, health check-ups, life skills and mentoring, is to receive a three-year grant of £280,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The new funding is to be used to set up a new project, the Maggs Outreach and Transitional Service (MOATS), which will provide three full-time outreach workers that will engage with rough sleepers across the county, connecting them with the relevant local organisations.

The sessions will promote health and wellbeing and provide learning opportunities to some of the city’s most vulnerable.

It will also allow them to provide training on self-esteem, healthy cooking on a budget, employment advice and managing stress and anxiety.

Central Worcester Mosque will receive £10,000 to help fund its Unity Youth Club which was opened in November by council leaders, mayor of Worcester Steve Mackay and Worcester MP Robin Walker.

The youth club plans to tackle anti-social behaviour and bullying as well as providing job and training opportunities.

Building Better Worcester will receive £9,900 to help the local Polish community overcome language and cultural barriers in a bid to improve their chance of finding a job.

The final sum of £4,700 will go to Silver Surfers Training to provide computer and internet workshops for the elderly.

Projects in Wychavon will receive a total of £49,000 including £10,000 for the refurbishment of Poplar Avenue play area and £9,650 for the refurbishment of the Stoulton village hall kitchen.

Defford-cum-Besford CE First School has been awarded £10,000 for outdoor play equipment to be used during and after school as well as by children in the wider community.

The Defford Surfers club will get £10,000 to fund all-ages IT sessions and Wallace House Community Centre receives £9,510 for arts and cookery workshops for young people not in training, education or employment.