A grant of £106,057 will help make life easier for elderly people in Bromyard.

The money from the Big Lottery Fund will be used by Age Concern to launch a new Handyman Scheme.

This will provide a tradesman to do simple tasks like changing light bulbs or fitting locks in elderly people's homes.

The Handyman Scheme, which will be launched in June, follows the success of a similar scheme in Malvern.

David Hendry, chief officer at Bromyard and District Age Concern, said: "We're delighted to have the grant, it will fund the project for three years. After that, we hope to extend it even further."

Mr Hendry said the service would help elderly or vulnerable people do little jobs that they would otherwise have to pay someone to do.

"It's aimed at making people feel more independent in their homes," he said.

"We generally say the jobs should take about an hour to do."

Mr Hendry said Age Concern was also hoping to set up a trade directory of recommended local traders.

"We're building up a list of traders who we know are reliable," he said.

For details on services provided by Age Concern, call 01885 483483.