THREE local organisations are to benefit from a George’s Fund grant which has awarded £38,476 to various projects across Herefordshire that use the power of nature to help children.

Set up by Laura Hughes to celebrate the short but special life of her son, George’s Fund is delighted to be able to award grants to a range of fantastic initiatives, from Herefordshire primary school projects to charities working with young children.

Announcing the successful projects, Laura Hughes commented: “We have awarded grants to ten very worthy local projects and look forward to sharing more about their achievements over the coming months.

“We are enormously grateful to everyone who has given their time and donations to help George’s Fund make a real difference to the lives of local young children.

“So much effort and imagination has been invested in helping us make George’s Fund a success.

“A special thank you goes out to George’s friend Louis who cycled from Stretton Sugwas to the base of Pen Y Fan and then climbed to the summit to complete his journey. It was an epic challenge, and we couldn’t be prouder of him.”

The local benefactors include Hope’s Children and Young Peoples Support Services, based at Overross, House, in Ross Park, will be funded to run forest school days with groups of children who have a loved one with a serious illness.

They will learn outdoor skills with a forest school leader, engaging together in activities which help them talk about their experiences and make friends.

Meanwhile Brampton Abbotts Primary School in Ross-on-Wye will run a ten-week bushcraft survival skills course for seven- to 11-year-olds who rarely access nature.

Peterchurch-based Cultivating Learning and Nature CIC’s Future Naturalists project will seek to improve the natural history skills of young people.