A DEPRIVED area in Oxford has been awarded an additional £25,860 from The National Lottery Community Fund.

A long-term project of GreenSquare's, the Rose Hill regeneration project began in 2011 to tackle the historically deprived area and has received significant funding over the years from The National Lottery Community Fund.

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Fran Gardner, GreenSquare’s community worker for Rose Hill, said: “There were many families already struggling at Rose Hill before the pandemic, with 52 per cent of children living in poverty.

"Unfortunately, Covid-19 has only seen an increase in the numbers of people struggling to cope financially and emotionally in the current climate."

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The grant will enable GreenSquare to help more people access financial advice and support.

The regeneration project will also work with Rose Hill Primary School to help provide short programmes of therapeutic support for vulnerable children and young people.

Sue Vermes, head teacher at Rose Hill Primary School, said: “It will support a range of activities, from extended play opportunities and one-to-one mentoring and creative therapy, to planting a sensory community garden.

"The activities it will fund would otherwise be beyond our means and are exactly what our children need as we return to school full-time."