Disabled groups in Witham and Maldon are celebrating after scooping almost £300,000 in grants from the National Lottery Charities Board.

Witham-based Essex Coalition of Disabled People was today celebrating after landing a windfall of more than £190,000 while the Maldon District Handicapped Children's Association netted £104,000.

Phil Miller, of the Witham group, described the grant as "the best thing to happen to disabled people in Essex for a long, long time".

The organisation has been awarded £194, 265 to help its campaigning for disabled rights.

The three year grant will pay for a director and a part-time administrator as well as costs for staff and user training.

It will also fund information, support and training and help pay for running costs. Set up in 1995 the group is establishing an administration base at premises in the Hatfield Road Estate, Witham.

Mr Miller added: "I'm unbelievably delighted with the news. The main thing is we can now appoint a full-time director. At the moment the organisation is run by volunteers who already have full-time jobs so its difficult to devote as much attention as we would like.

"But the new post of director means we can forge greater links with the community and are in a better position to promote awareness."

The £104,572 grant to the Maldon group comes just after it celebrates its 25th anniversary and will use the windfall to increase the number of sessions which the group runs at Brickhouse Farm, Marlowe Road.

Pat Mead, association chairman, said everybody was absolutely thrilled with the news. which had to be kept secret for over week - even from some staff and parents.

She added: "This will keep us financed for another three years, it is badly needed. Years ago there were volunteer workers which did it for nothing, but it's not the same these days and highly trained staff cost money, it's paramount we got it."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.