Sporting events for people with brain injuries and horticultural activities for veterans are among 92 community projects to share £4.5m in National Lottery funding to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee this year.

The fund was launched last year, originally to offer £3.5m worth of grants of up to £50,000 to 70 organisations to mark the Queen’s 70 year’s on the throne.

This was later increased by an additional £1m funding for 22 more community groups.

Among charities to receive funding is Headway Worcestershire, which is hosting the world’s first Acquired Brain Injury Games this summer. Currently people with an ABI are unable to take part in the Paralympics as they do not show an obvious physical disability.

“The Acquired Brain Injury Games will provide a fun way to acknowledge the wonderful skills and talents of the people we support, while also ensuring adults with an acquired brain injury know about the valuable support Headway Worcestershire and other charities offer in the community,” said Headway Worcestershire chief executive Mandie Fitzgerald.

Another charity to receiving funding is Valley Veterans in Rhondda Valley, Wales. It will support more than 140 veterans through physical and mental health activities involving horse and gardening through its ‘equi-growth’ project.

Meanwhile, Group for Recycling in Argyll and Bute Trust (GRAB Trust) is to use its £50,000 for an inter-generational waste reduction project.

“This will not only reduce pollution and waste going to landfill but build friendships between generations that will last long after the Platinum Jubilee,” said the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF), which is distributing the funding.

NLCF chair Blondel Cluff added: “We are proud to play a key role in this momentous year of celebration across the United Kingdom.

“It is these community groups that perfectly encapsulate the spirit of this Platinum Jubilee year, by creating a legacy of positive change that allows people to prosper and thrive.”

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