A DRAGON’S Den style awards show has seen nearly £40,000 given to community projects.

The Oxford Brookes University-run Social Entrepreneur awards handed out money to a number of local schemes, with five receiving £5,000 or more. Fifteen projects pitched to a panel of judges this month.

The big winner was Arts Excite – a project that provides workshops for disadvantaged young people to earn nationally recognised arts qualifications – which was awarded £12,000.

Fluid Motion – a community health project aimed at providing and making hydrotherapy and rehabilitation in swimming pools more affordable – and Contemporary Art Research Unit – a scheme to bring together creative minds – both won £5,000.

Recruit Young Business Agency, a scheme to help young, unemployed people find jobs, also won £5,000.

Hill End Writing Retreats also won £5,000. It is a project to use the Farmoor centre as a haven for creative writers and harness the profits for free writing courses for talented, disadvantaged pupils in the county.

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