HITCHIN AND SURROUNDING AREAS: Grants totalling more than £750 have been awarded to community groups in and around our town.

Three community groups have been awarded funds from Herts County Council's locality budget projects which promote the social, economic, or environmental wellbeing of their local area.

The money will benefit good causes in Hitchin, Breachwood Green, Lilley.

Angels Support Group Hitchin

Services for parents of children and young people with autism or ADHD across Hertfordshire.

Councillor Judi Billing has awarded a grant of £500 to help Angels run services for Hitchin based families of children with autism.

Funding will help provide a bespoke one-to-one service for parents where individual families are supported with any issues they may be experiencing.

Councillor Billing said: "Families have suffered terribly through the pandemic. Those families with children with Autism/ADHD have in some cases been put under almost unimaginable stress.

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"I am happy to do what I can to help in however small a way."

Lilley Parish Council – A defibrillator to be situated on the exterior of the village hall

Councillor David Barnard has awarded a grant of £255 to install a dual function defibrillator with an easy switch to enable use by children or adults.

It will potentially save the life of any adult or child who may suffer from cardiac arrest at the recreation ground. It should provide some security for residents and visitors to the village and will hopefully prove invaluable if it is ever needed.

Councillor Barnard said: "Defibrillators save lives and should be quickly made available in our communities. I am proud to support this project in Lilley."

Breachwood Green JMI School – Internet Safety Project

Councillor Barnard has also awarded a grant of £66 to help pay for the Barney & Echo Caught in the Web Project which is an educational resource aimed at children aged between 9 and 11 years old.

The purpose of the project is to educate children in the correct use of the internet, including strategies to help avoid inappropriate internet use and deal with cyber bullying.

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The project includes individual workbooks for each child, a teacher/parent guide with extra lesson plans and a script to produce a play based on internet safety.