A NUMBER of Suffolk groups are celebrating today after receiving a combined total of around £50,000 in lottery grants.As part of The National Lottery's Awards for All programme a total of five organisations in the area will get key funding to help them continue important community and voluntary work.

A NUMBER of Suffolk groups are celebrating today after receiving a combined total of around £50,000 in lottery grants.

As part of The National Lottery's Awards for All programme a total of five organisations in the area will get key funding to help them continue important community and voluntary work.

Ipswich and District Council for Voluntary Services, which helps and supports around 400 charities in and around Ipswich, was awarded a total of £9,376.

Elle Lamb, Funding and development consultant at ICVS, said the money will prove vital in supporting the work the organisation does.

She said: “It is great news for us and we are going to be spending it on volunteers, to help them improve their skills.

“We receive some money from both the borough council and the county council but the majority of it we have to raise ourselves.

“We haven't had a lottery grant for about three or four years.”

Other beneficiaries were the Ladies multicultural sports project in Ipswich which received £9,930, Orwell High School, which got £3,512 and the Brundish Training Centre, a centre offering free computer training, which got £9,471.

Sara Betsworth, Big Lottery Fund head of the East of England region, said: “It has been another fantastic month for projects in the East - initiatives that are crucially important for all sorts of people and all sorts of groups have been able to get the funding they sorely needed to realise goals that will help the community prosper.”

Will you benefit from the lottery funding? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Ipswich and District Council for Voluntary Services £9,376

Ladies multicultural sports project, Ipswich £9,930

Orwell High School, Suffolk £3,512

Brundish Training Centre, Suffolk Coastal £9,471

Shottisham Parish Council, Suffolk Coastal £10,000