Charities across south Essex have benefited from a handout of Lottery grants totalling more than £220,000.

Members of the Pavis Foundation for Visually Impaired People and The Diamond Task Force, both in Basildon, were full of beans yesterday after learning of their cash boosts.

Pavis, which provides a daily drop-in and twice monthly outreach service for the visually impaired, received a whopping £153,059.

Meanwhile, Diamond, which collects and delivers donated items, got a healthy £35,153.

Southend Citizens' Advice Bureau were also given a boost of £36,735 in the recent round of grants.

The funding will help staff to continue providing advice on a range a topics including benefits and the law to hundreds of residents each year.

Brentwood-based SNAP (Special Needs And Parents), which provides a variety of services and activities for parents and their children who have disabilities or special needs, also received a grant of £101,350.

More in the evening Echo