Gloucester community projects have been awarded £236,746 from The National Lottery Community Fund in the last three months.

Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester, said: "All of these awards in the 25th Anniversary year of National Lottery Awards will help us develop stronger, more connected communities in Gloucester.

"The biggest beneficiaries are Building Circles' programme for adults with learning difficulties and GL Communities, with the latter concentrating on lonely and vulnerable people especially in the Matson, Robinswood, White City and Tuffley at their Phoenix Centre. I quite often refer constituents for their financial advice."

Gloucester's MP also highlighted the importance of smaller awards. These include Roots Coffee and Community in Kingsholm, which will be able to boost its range of successful community activities, and MSB for its United Through Dance project for younger people and InfoBuzz therapeutic sessions to help mental health issues.

Richard said: "Together these will make a difference. Added to the government's commitment to new mental health funding (the 2gether Trust is recruiting and training to provide every school with a qualified mental health advisor), this means that more help than ever before on different types of mental health challenges is on its way in Gloucester.

"More can always be done, but the commitment is there, and the National Lottery's contribution should be recognised as positive for good charities to expand their activity."