An England-wide scheme delivering wheelchair skills training to children and young people with disabilities is one of dozens of initiatives today taking a share of £11.8 million in lottery good cause funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

Excursions for visually impaired people and support for foster families are also among the 40 projects receiving funding today from BIG'S Reaching Communities programme.

The multi-million pound roll-out to voluntary and community organisations will help their work with some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded people across England.

Sanjay Dighe, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund's England Committee, said: "We are delighted to see over £11.8 million going to support the people who most need it, including three fantastic England-wide schemes which will enable people with disabilities to try new things and reach their potential, and support foster carers to do an extremely important job to the best of their ability."

Whizz-Kidz (The Movement for Non-Mobile Children) are getting things moving to expand their project delivering specialist wheelchair skills training to children and young people.

BIG's grant of £496,783 will fund schemes throughout England.

Also aiming to break down barriers for disabled people is Action for Blind People, with a grant of £176,607 to expand their service providing activities and excursions for visually impaired people together with their carers and families, through four specially adapted hotels in the Lake District, Somerset, Devon and West Sussex.

The Fostering Network is also celebrating a grant of £447,631 to provide local foster care associations in 15 areas of England that are not currently served.

These centres provide a meeting place for foster carers to share problems, ideas and solutions and access peer support.

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