SOME of the most disadvantaged and needful people living across Bolton will benefit from a huge cash boost of £746,000.

Refugees and asylum seekers, unpaid carers and those who are isolated are among the deserving causes which have been given a portion of the funds, raised by National Lottery players.

A total of 32 community organisations in the borough have been given the financial support via the National Lottery Community Fund.

Bolton has been awarded the largest amount of money given to any town across Greater Manchester in the latest handout.

Duncan Nicholson, head of funding for the North West region at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Young people are the experts in their own lives and, thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to support an exciting range of organisations and projects delivering the activities that they have told us they want in their communities.

“We have seen time again that when young people are in the lead, amazing things happen. We are excited to see how this funding will be used to enable communities to thrive.”

Befriending Refugees and Asylum Seekers (BRASS), which provides refugee support, English classes, immigration advice and work experience, to name a few, has been given £9,450.

The charity, which runs a drop-in service in Bolton town centre, will use the funds to develop their existing Conversation Café model. The project aims to see more people, for whom English is not their first language, using English outside of classes and in a social space.

Another charity to benefit is Bolton Carers Support, which helps unpaid carers aged 18 and above. They have been handed £255,000 to ensure that carers receive adequate support through a range of activities, courses, advice and events that bring carers together and give them skills for life.

A further £116,300 has been given to Bolton Toy Library to help cover running costs and staff wages as they support children and babies who have developmental delay, for a number of reasons including Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Asperger’s and cerebral palsy and young children who are going through diagnosis.

Lottery players have also helped those who attend the ABC sewing group, which meets at Astley Bridge Baptist Church.

The organisation has been gifted £7,529 to continue running its sewing activities for isolated people in the area. These sessions help members to increase activity and improve self-esteem.

The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded £3.1million to projects across Greater Manchester, benefitting some 185 projects.