Community groups throughout the area are celebrating this week after being told they will be included in a total of £118,000 worth of grants for Cornwall from the Millennium Festival For All scheme.

The awards involved come from National Lottery funds and from the Millennium experience.

The total amount given to South East Cornwall is more than £40,000.

Youngsters at St Martin's playgroup, Liskeard have been celebrating after being given over £3,000 for new toys.

Playgroup supervisor, Lynne Worrall said the group, which meets in the lower hall in the St Martin's hall complex, welcomed the news with open arms - as did assistants Celia Andrew and Rosie Sutton, and treasurer Judy Jackson.

The playgroup was started over 20 years ago, as the brainchild of former rector Canon Deryck Davy. However, numbers have dropped off recently as youngsters have moved on to school, and consequently the playgroup is now actively recruiting new members.

It meets on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and runs from 9.15am until noon, taking children from two and a half until school age. Lynne said as long as youngsters are around two and a half and dry, the playgroup will be happy to recruit them.

Recipients also include Whitsand Bay surf lifesaving club, made up entirely of volunteers, which has received £4,500. The club works alongside Caradon council lifeguards along the coastline from Rame to Longsands. Last year the club lost a substantial amount of equipment in a storm when the clubhouse doors were broken and the rescue boat damaged. Donations from Ginsters and the Lions club of Rame meant some new equipment could be bought, and repairs carried out to the boat.

Other associations to benefit from the awards include Kelly Bray WI who receive the highest local amount of £5,000 to refurbish the car park and improve access to the hall, for the disabled.

Another association to receive £5,000 is Lostwithiel 2000 steering group, co-ordinating the town's Millennium celebrations to include workshops, a dance and visual arts project, a concert, arts and crafts exhibition and a commemorative video.

Golant village hall received £4,964 to refurbish its kitchen, and Castle Dore rowing club £4,906 to buy a new boat to bring more people into their under l8s squad.

Thanks to a £3,583 award St Cleer memorial hall will bring their doors up to required safety standards, and fund a feasibility study into how the building can better serve the community. The lst Climsland Scout group will use their £3,557 to buy sporting and camping equipment.

St Neot under 5s have acquired £2,583 to update existing play equipment and provide additional dry storage, while Maker with Rame parish council has received £2,000 to design and make tiles depicting local maritime history.

An award of £1,840 has also been given to Harrowbarrow and Metherell pre-school playgroup for equipment to help develop the youngsters' skills.