Peterhouse Primary School, in Gorleston, is one of the community groups around the county celebrating today after more than �370,000 of funding was awarded to the east of England.

The Big Lottery Fund's Awards for All programme offers grants of between �300 and �10,000 to social and environmental projects, such as voluntary and community groups, schools, health organisations and local councils.

The school will use its �9,728 chunk of the funding to create a sensory wildlife garden at the school, which will improve the biodiversity of the area and give pupils the chance to get close to nature.

Five groups in Norfolk received the maximum �10,000 grant, including Ashill Parish Council, near Swaffham, which will use its cash to install play equipment suitable for pre-school children to improve a playground in the village.

Also celebrating is King's Lynn Festival Chorus – who will use the �10,000 to replace their stage – and Eaton Vale Scout and Guide Activity Centre, on the outskirts of Norwich, which will buy a mobile climbing tower with its �10,000.

Bignold Primary School, in central Norwich, also got the maximum amount and is planning an art project that will see its pupils work with an artist to create sculptures in the community.

In north Suffolk, Hinderclay Parish Council received �10,000 and will use the money to purchase a plot of land for use as a recreation area.

Reg Langston, chairman of the working group which has worked alongside the village hall committee to get the funding, said: 'We have managed after 40 years of looking to find a piece of land right outside the village hall and the �10,000 will help us to purchase the land and seed the grass.

'It was agricultural land before and is the very best land for use as recreation ground by the village hall.'

Disabled anglers in the area will also benefit from a grant of �9,613 to the Bungay Cherry Tree Angling Club to install angling platforms and facilities for disabled people.