WEST Devon clubs and organisations are this month celebrating success in the latest round of awards to be announced by the National Lottery's Awards for All scheme.

Top grants of £5,000 have been awarded to Bere Ferrers Parochial Church Council, Mary Tavy Coronation Hall, Tamar and Tavy Gig Club and Tavistock College, while Okehampton-based Wren Trust was awarded £4,450.

Robert Turner, chairman of Tamar and Tavy Gig Club, said they were thrilled with the award.

'We are obviously delighted — it's the maximum they award and they were very quick processing our application,' he said.

'We started looking at setting up a club about nine months ago and we held our first annual meeting in July, when we had more than 40 members attend, which was fantastic — they were all very enthusiastic.'

Mr Turner said: 'We will be operating from Weir Quay, working alongside the sailing club there, so we will have a good base on the river. We hope to have a boat ready by March 2004, the plan being to get the boat across to the Scillies for the world championships, which are in May.'

Mr Turner said a purpose-built gig would normally cost around £15,000 to £18,000 — but thanks to a generous offer from Lifton joiner and former shipwright, Brian Nobbs, the club are hoping to have a new gig built at cost price.

Mr Turner said: 'This first award really means we can get started now — it gives us great incentive to go ahead and raise other funds. I hope by the end of the year we will have raised our target — there is certainly a lot of enthusiasm within the club.'

The Rev Nick Law said Bere Ferrers church was 'very pleased' with the grant, which is being put towards a £100,000 project to update the village church hall.

Mr Law said: 'We will be providing new loos, disabled

access and building a small meeting room and dedicated area for the doctor's surgery, for the surgery that's held once a week.'

Mr Law said the present toilet facilities at the hall were 'fairly primitive' and once completed, the refurbishment project would make a 'big difference' to the community.

Mary Tavy Coronation Hall Committee is spending its £5,000 grant on upgrading the kitchen facilities and buying new, more comfortable chairs at the hall.

Bookings officer Jennifer Hillborn said: 'I was quite shocked when we found they'd given us the full £5,000 — it means there will be some money left over for decorating!'

She said the hall was very well used by the community and the investment would be well appreciated by everyone — particularly those who found the old chairs a little uncomfortable!

Nick Davies, international office manager at Tavistock College, said the £5,000 grant would be put towards a new liner for the swimming pool, which is currently undergoing a £20,000 refurbishment.

'The grant is a great help because it reduces the amount we have to fundraise ourselves — it's an expensive project.

'It's a large chunk of it, so the grant is a weight off our minds,' said Mr Davies.

And Okehampton-based Wren Trust, a community music charity, will be spending its £4,550 grant on new digital sound and recording equipment.

The trust said the money means the group will be able to expand the number of workshops they run throughout West Devon.

The Awards for All scheme makes grants of between £500 and £5,000 to 'grass roots' community groups and organisations throughout the country.

Acting senior awards officer Ray Moore said: 'The competition has been strong but we are pleased that, to date, we have been able to support 55% of those groups applying to us.

'Those groups who have got a grant in this round of Awards for All are to be sincerely congratulated on their success.'