A theatre, sports pavilion and a bus museum are among the Oxfordshire projects that have netted £270,000 in grant funding, thanks to the landfill tax credit scheme.

Twelve projects across the county have been given cash grants ranging from £2,000 to £50,000. The grants were awarded by Waste Recycling Environmental (Wren) as part of the tax credit scheme.

The scheme allows companies to divert a proportion of their annual landfill tax bill to community projects within 10 miles of landfill sites.

Among the big beneficiaries were a project to improve a pavilion in Great Milton, Wallingford's Corn Exchange theatre and a project to build a new sports pavilion in East Hagbourne - each receiving a grant of £50,000.

East Hagbourne Parish Council is planning to transform sports facilities in the village with a new pavilion complete with changing rooms, hall, bar, outdoor games areas and car parking.

Monica Lawson, chairman of East Hagbourne Parish Council, said the Wren grant was a huge boost to the project.

She added: "The new facilities are going to cost around £800,000, so we need a lot more, but the fundraising is going well."

Wallingford's Corn Exchange celebrates its 150th birthday in December and the theatre is planning to transform the front-of-house area in time for the celebration.

The theatre's business manager Philip Burton said he was "chuffed" with the £50,000 cash injection.

He said: "We're very pleased with the Wren grant. The total project will cost £320,000. We will be starting in August and I think it will take until October or November."

Mr Burton added the downstairs of the building would be redesigned to create a more welcoming building with an enhanced bar area.

Wren's Oxfordshire project manager Matthew Cox said: "The extraordinary range of projects that we have been able to support this quarter is testimony to the hard work of local people who are all trying to improve provision for their neighbourhoods."

For more details about Wren visit www.wren.org.uk