FOUR North Devon groups have benefited from an Awards for All grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

More than £25,000 of grants will be shared by Holsworthy's The Mission Youth Cafe; the Rainbow Pre-School in Merton; the Worlington Photographic Group and Bishops Nympton Little Owls Pre-School.

The Mission Youth Cafe, a youth organisation was awarded £9,066 from the fund.

The cafe ran out of funding last summer and its only option was to continue one night a week on a voluntary basis.

The much needed funds will allow the club to open on Tuesday evenings for one year.

It will also give youngsters the opportunity to gain formal qualifications in courses tailored for individuals.

Worlington Photographic Group, based in the village near Witheridge, has been awarded £6,448 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The group will be spending the funds on new equipment to help them with a digitalisation project.

The group was set up in 2007 and has between 15 and 20 members aged 30 to 75, who put on an exhibition around once a year.

Graham Brown said the whole group thought the grant was wonderful and were pleased.

He said: "The money is vital for the group's progression. If we don't move with the technology it will just come to an end — this is the next stage and what we needed.

"A lot of the group don't have computers or are afraid of them, so the first stage will be learning how to enhance photographs."

Meanwhile Bishops Nympton Little Owls Pre-School has won £875.

Pre-school administrator Amelia Joyner said the money is going to be used on two laptops and a printer.

The pre-school, which has 12 children and is based in the village hall, is getting recycled equipment from a special supplier for charities.

Amelia described the grant as exciting for the children, who are between two and five years old.

The pre-school currently opens all day on Mondays and on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings.

For more information about the pre-school contact 07747 398399.

Rainbow Pre-School was awarded £8,704.

The

Journal

was unable to contact anyone at the pre-school to find out how the money would be spent.