COMMUNITY groups across West Devon have scooped lottery cash in the latest round of ?Awards for All? grants announced this week.

Improving and promoting sports activities, arts events and providing opportunities for the disabled are some of the schemes to win funding.

A total of 208 groups in the South West are the latest recipients with Tavistock Forward and Spreyton Cricket Club gaining the top award of £5,000.

Tavistock Forward is to stage events involving music, art and exhibitions focusing on the canal, which celebrates its bicentenary this year.

Simon O?Connor-Thompson of Tavistock Forward said the group was very grateful to Awards for All for giving it the maximum grant.

?We had help in putting the application together from West Devon Borough Council and now we can go ahead with plans for an exhibition throughout August, a pack to send out to schools and a music festival in late August to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the canal,? he said.

The group is looking for a further £9,000 to put on other events which include a photographic competition.

Mr O?Connor-Thompson said there was a drive to tidy up Tavistock Canal and upgrade the towpath to make it accessible to all people, including the disabled and parents with pushchairs.

In Spreyton a synthetic cricket pitch will be purchased for the village green with the £5,000 grant.

Art and music activities will benefit at South Tawton Primary School with their award of £4,953 and the Tavistock-based Integrated Art Group received £3,600 to hold workshops with two professional artists to create banners and flags for a celebratory event highlighting the skills and creativity of the disabled.

A family learning course for young parents and day and evening courses for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems is on the agenda at Okehampton College which was awarded £2,621.

Groups in Tavistock will be encouraging more people to take up sport with Tavistock Squash Club gaining £2,015 to buy equipment and provide training and the Thistles Football Club receiving £2,820 to increase coaching resources and equipment for juniors.

The Lottery?s Awards for All scheme provides grants of between £500 and £5,000 for grass roots community groups and organisations.

Senior Awards Officer for the South West Steve Barriball said: ?At present we are funding about 50 per cent of the applications we receive. Regrettably due to a reduced budget we are having to turn down some very good applications simply because we have insufficient money therefore I congratulate groups receiving awards in this round.?