AWARDS with grants totalling £8,000 have been handed out to organisations by Oxfordshire’s High Sheriff.

Graham Upton has presented community integration awards to enable four projects to provide opportunities for more effective and positive relationships across various communities.

A total of 28 organisations applied for the awards, but they were given to Cowley Road Works, Nepalese Community Oxfordshire, Slade and Headington Children’s Centre and Green Square Group.

Mr Upton said: “It was incredibly inspiring to see so many great organisations trying to create change, but a little disconcerting at the same time knowing we could not help all of them and the strength of the applications made choosing the winners extraordinarily hard.

“Oxfordshire is a county of juxtapositions, it has great beauty in its historical architecture but that can mask a lot of different sides of life and discrepancies.

“Oxford is a city of great wealth and education but also has pockets of huge deprivation which has massive implications on health, crime, housing and education.”

Fran Gardner, of Green Square Group, in Rose Hill said: “We are really thrilled. The award will also give ethnic minority groups the chance to host community lunches — such a great way to get people together.”