GRANTS for community and environmental projects in Worcestershire and Herefordshire – covering everything from solar roof panels to children’s swings and even £8,000 towards a new hockey pitch for Stourport Hockey Club – 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.

The Environmental Fund receives financial contributions from county waste management contractor Severn Waste Services under the Landfill Communities Fund. The largest amount went to Aymestrey village hall in Herefordshire, which received £10,000 towards a kitchen extension.

Worcestershire recipients included: St Barnabas Church, Worcester (£4,500 towards new toilet, screen and other facilities); Astley and Dunley village hall, near Stourport (£7,500 towards solar panels); Offenham village hall, near Evesham (£9,000 towards a new, energy efficient heating system); and Castlemorton parish hall, near Malvern (£2,000 towards hall modernisation). Others included Harvington Playing Fields Association (£2,000 for new swings); the Hanleys Village Society, near Malvern (£1,000 towards a community sculpture art project; St Gregory’s Church, Castlemorton, (£4,000 towards new toilet and kitchenette facilities); and 1st Aston Ingham Scout Group, near Newent (£2,656 towards energy efficiency measures).

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