FIVE charity groups in Cornwall are celebrating after receiving a cash boost £131,941 between them.

Using money raised by HealthPerfect CIC through The Health Lottery, grants have been awarded by People’s Health Trust through Active Communities, a funding programme which invests in local people and groups in communities with great ideas to make their communities even better.

The charities celebrating the grants include:

• Bewans Kernow - £39,170 – This new 24 month project aims to increase the knowledge of Cornish culture while enhancing community cohesion and giving a voice to local people from the village of Maldron. The programme will benefit 1,000 people and looks to address issues of neighborhood work.

• Cascade Theatre Company - £21,648 – A new 18 month project based in the village of St Day which aims to run weekly inter-generational drama/ music art and dance workshops with children and older people culminating in a performance involving the whole community.

• Miners Court Residents Association - £18,936 – This new 24 month project will deliver arts and crafts activities to encourage community cohesion, raise esteem and prevent identified problems of isolation and loneliness at Miners Court (Redruth, Cornwall), a sheltered housing scheme for vulnerable people.

• Pengegon Area Collective - £25,000 – The 24 month project will run weekly community activities (including swimming, Zumba and fun days) for residents of Pengegon, Parc an Tansys and Gwelmor estates in Cambourne to take place at the community playing field and local beach.

• Shallal - £27,187 – A 24 month project to develop an existing friendship and dance group to become user-led and to support community engagement. The scheme, based in Falmouth, will work with people with learning disability, physical disabilities, low level mental health issues and dementia and provide confidence and advocacy training, as well as improvised dance.

Chris Lunn, Director of HealthPerfect, said: ‘The projects, supported using money raised by HealthFull, are extremely valuable to a wide range of individuals across this region, we look forward to hearing more about how these initiatives are enabling people to live longer healthier lives.

John Hume, Chief Executive of People’s Health Trust, said: “We are delighted to be investing in these local organisations with great ideas to make their communities even better places to grow, live, work and age.”

Active Communities is for community groups and not-for-profit organisations with an income of less than £350,000 a year that are seeking investment of between £5,000 and £50,000 a year, for projects lasting up to two years. For more information visit www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk