AN IRVINE church has received a cash boost that will see improvements to it’s youth services thanks to a Lottery grant.

Fullarton Parish Church has been awarded a £6,140 Awards for All grant which will help develop the church’s youth group by providing sessional youth workers to co-ordinate activities.

The project will also allow the church to run craft and cookery workshops over the next year and a summer holiday programme of day trips tailored to groups aged 5-12 years and 12-18 years.

Reverend Neil Urquhart said the church was delighted to receive the boost. He said: “It was a very much welcomed gift. It’s great to be able to do thing that, without this money we might not have had the chance to do. There’s already been a great number of kids benefiting from it and using the service.” The church was one of three groups to benefit from a recent Lottery cash giveaway.

Winlinton Wolves Boys Club received a £500 Awards for All grant which will enable four of the clubs youth teams to participate in a weekend SCI football tournament in Prestatyn, Wales, whiled New Irvine Community Choir received a £2,907. The choir promotes social inclusion, health and wellbeing in Irvine and will further develop their skills and experience by performing in the local community out-with their rehearsal hall.

Central Ayrshire MP, Brian Donohoe spoke of his delight that three Irvine groups had been awarded money.

He said: “Now that Awards for All has opened back up after being paused to new applications for the sake of concentrating on grants relating to the Commonwealth Games, I am very pleased to see three groups each in both local authority areas within my constituency receive funding.

“Each and every one of these groups is deserving of these funds as every one of them provides something invaluable to the community within which it is situated.

“Here’s hoping there will be more of the same in the way of funding from Awards for All in the coming months and lead up to the festive period as I am delighted to have seen this funding awarded this month.”