THREE county projects have been boosted thanks to a combined total of more than £20,000 in lottery funds.

Those projects which have received cash from the Big Lottery Fund are Leominster-based charity ECHO, Kingstone Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Wigmore Village Hall.

ECHO – which works to make a difference to the lives of disabled people in the county – has received £10,000 for its refurbishment of the Forbury workshop which is used by the charity's theatre company About Face.

The funding will enable the refurbishment of the ground floor of the building to provide a more welcoming and creative space with better kitchen facilities and easier access to the disabled toilets.

ECHO said: "In the 20 years About Face has been running, it has successfully developed into a thriving theatre company, offering a valued work placement where disabled people can learn new skills and be seen contributing to the creative and cultural life of the community.

"Over the past three years, About Face has grown from two days a week to five days with three different groups taking part in a variety of different activities. The numbers attending the theatre company each week have grown from 10 to 30 plus, with the potential to develop further with improved facilities."

Meanwhile, the Kingstone Parochial Church Council (PCC) has also received £10,000 for its church re-ordering project, which involves the installation of a kitchen and meeting space within the church building.

The lottery funds will help fund the purchase of white goods, however the total cost of the overall project is £200,000 so funding is still being sought for other elements of it.

It is hoped, when complete, the improvements will make the medieval church more comfortable for the congregation and will enable it to be opened up for use by community groups.

Wigmore Village Hall has also received £2,600 towards a feasibility study around how to improve the community hall.

The hall was built in the early 1950s, following on from the end of the Second World War and much of the funding for the new building came from residents who contributed small weekly amounts with the land being donated by a local family – the Kevil Davies family.

Bryan Crasbourne, chairman of the village hall committee, said: "In recent times the hall has been used for everything from wedding parties, conferences, arts performances, village meetings, parish council meetings and local club meetings.

"Internally the decor and facilities are now due for an overhaul and an update, mainly to meet the needs of users and encourage more residents to make use of their valuable asset."

The grant will be used to undertake survey work and produce a business plan, setting out the way forward for the coming decade. This plan will then be used to seek additional funding to undertake the proposed work.

Meanwhile, Ashford Carbonell Village Hall, on the county border, has received £10,000 for the installation of new play equipment in the children’s play area. This will replace the existing equipment, which is now unsafe for use and enable disabled children to access the area.