DIFFERENT community groups around Droitwich have received grants through the Droitwich Lions Club, after it launched a community grant scheme with the Advertiser.

Five groups benefitted from a share of £1,500 to help with vital work in the community.

The scheme used money raised during the Christmas period from the Santa Sleigh collections conducted by the Lions around town, and invited applications from interested groups.

Spectrum Days, which works with adults with profound and multiple learning difficulties in the town, received £300, which has helped to fund a harness for one of its clients, Adam Pyle.

Jenny Antrobus, from the organisation said: “Adam can’t walk, he’s in a wheelchair, but he can support his head. Now he can walk across the room with the help of an overhead tracking system, which he can’t do normally. It’s great because it allows Adam to stretch and it just gives him freedom of choice. If he’s not happy he can turn around and go. It’s a great item really.”

The Droitwich branch of St John’s Ambulance, has put the £300 it received toward a commercial grade gazebo to use at community events like Salt Fest and the Remembrance Parade, for training or as a PR unit, as well as for treating members of the public.

Richard Brown, unit manager for the Droitwich adult branch, said: “It’s somewhere for people to be treated with a bit of privacy and dignity. We have already used it. It came out at the Colour Run in Lido Park, and it was in use this weekend at the fire station open day. I think this is a fantastic initiative to raise money for local charities.”

Droitwich Challengers, which is a club for adults with learning disabilities, has received help from the Lions before to fund a trip to the Snoezelen Centre in Worcester, but their grant of £250 is helping to fund a trip further afield to Monkey Forest near Stoke on Trent.

Eunice Williams from Challengers said: “The money will pay for half the coach, or for our entrance, it helps us to do a fair bit more. We do raise money and we could be self-sufficient, but we wouldn’t do these big trips, and all the clients love coming.”

Other groups which benefitted from the grant scheme include the Droitwich Foodbank and Sytchampton School.

Dave Sherwen, president of Droitwich Lions, said: “We were very pleased with the response from local organisations to our grant scheme and hope to build on this next year. The applications were varied and from worthy organisations doing a fantastic job in the local community. The money has been well spent.”

For more information on Droitwich Lions and the work it does, visit droitwichlions.com/.