A VOLUNTEER organisation is celebrating after receiving £440,000 of lottery funding for a project to get isolated people in Harwich more active.

Tendring Community Voluntary Services was one of 64 schemes across the country to be given a share of £14.8million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme, which aims to help those most in need.

The scheme, which will help more than 1,120 people across Tendring get healthier, will be rolled out in Harwich and Dovercourt from the end of 2013.

The cash will be spent on walking groups, gardening projects and seated exercise classes, setting up neighbour schemes, sign-posting facilities where people can keep fit and outdoor gyms.

It will target isolated older people, young people who are not in education, employment or training and those with long-term physical or mental health conditions who get very little exercise.

Sharon Alexander, chief officer of Community Voluntary Services Tendring, said the cash windfall is fantastic news for the Harwich and Dovercourt communities.

She said: “The communities we have elected to work with are those with the highest levels of people who are finding it hard to find employment or their lives are affected in a negative way.

“Hopefully with the scheme we can bring the communities of Old Town Harwich and Dovercourt together.

“We want to encourage people to come together and benefit from the support of the community development team and get people living more active, independent and longer lives."