COMMUNITY groups and individuals across the district will benefit from nearly £6,000 of grant funding, thanks to awards from Sedgemoor District Council.

Charley Woodman is currently captain of the Under 15s England basketball team. She has competed at two international tournaments in Spain and Serbia along with a number of training camps throughout the UK. Charley is currently volunteering to coach younger players in the community at the Bridgwater Bucs Basketball Club. She was awarded £500 to help with travel costs.

St George`s Newtown Hall, Bridgwater, has received £2,500 towards the costs of replacing an old and dated heating system, a new roof- felt and batons and replacing windows and the main door, with more energy efficient UPVC to help with the rising fuel costs.

The Escape Support Group were awarded £1,028.72 to spend on a family day at Somerset Boat Centre. ESCAPE recognises the need for families to have opportunities to spend quality time doing fun things together – not just the child with the disability. Families often find themselves, through no fault of their own, excluded, misunderstood and sometimes subjected to prejudice simply because of the additional needs of their children. The group aims to redress that by empowering and enabling families, allowing them the opportunity to visit locations, experience events and participate in activities which might otherwise be unavailable to them.

Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival gets £1,857.50 which will help buy two defibrillators to be located at the carnival park on land off Bristol Road, which is where many of the carnival entries are built. It is also the location of the carnival committee shed where all the equipment required to put on the events is stored and maintained.