CHILDREN on their Easter holidays have been enjoying a slice of the £1m awarded to Toothill.

The area was one of the first 50 to benefit from the Big Local Lottery programme, which designated £200m for 150 urban and rural neighbourhoods across England.

A group of 40 children a day have been taking part in SuperSportStars sessions at Toothill Primary School for free, thanks to money allocated by the local steering group.

Phil Scarisbrick, SuperSportStars business manager, said: “They get to make friends with children from different schools, learn how to play different sports and experience coaching while having a really fun time.

“They experience winning and losing and obviously, with it being Olympic year, it is a good thing for them.”

The sports club has been running from 8.30am until 3.30pm during the holidays.

The £1m improvements to the area will be made over 10 years and Toothill was given the second round of money – a £20,000 grant – in January.

Grants have been allocated to projects by the local steering group and involve all members of the community. Events include schoolchildren working with writers to create a poem to express their aspirations for the area, and support for the community cafe to act as more of a local hub where residents can voice their opinions.