A WORCESTERSHIRE charity has been awarded a £420,000 Lottery grant to breed giant guinea pigs in Peru.
The Cusichaca Trust, based in Belbroughton, near Kidderminster, has been given the cash to help Latin American farmers produce the rodents for locals to eat.
This is the second time in five years that the project has been given a boost by the Lottery.
The Cusichaca Trust hopes the £423,672 award will help them breed a new, fatter guinea pig, which can be eaten by Peruvians.
In the South American country the rodents are considered a delicacy.
High in protein content, they are roasted on a spit or baked before eating.
The grant is the latest award from the Community Fund, which has come under fire in the past over other projects it has backed, including its decision to award £200,000 for a magazine aimed at gipsies and £400,000 for gay and lesbian Christians.
This latest award to the Cusichaca Trust has angered some charities, which were refused funding.
The fund is due to be axed next year.
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