A FESTIVAL of light and a dance troupe for all the family are among projects which have received cash handouts.

Thousands of pounds has been donated to arts projects in Worcestershire and Herefordshire in the latest round of Arts Council grants in the west Midlands.

Successful projects include community dance and a festival of light in Worcester, physical theatre in Kidderminster, a family drawing weekend at Bishops Wood and a photography festival in Hereford.

Tall Alex, a Worcester dance company started by sisters Rachael and Sarah Alexander to get people of all ages involved in a community dance presentation, has been awarded £5,000.

"We particularly wanted members of the same family to take part and we have got 25 people aged from five to 60, including sisters, mothers and daughters and a family of five," said Rachael.

"We are working within the skills of those taking part to create a piece of dance-drama, to be performed in January."

After holding open workshops to get people interested, they have been rehearsing at Bishop Perowne CE High School for the last two weeks and the school, which is a Performing Arts College, has also given £1,500 towards their costs.

Sarah said the Arts Council grant would enable them to buy costumes.

"We have a visual artist, Hannah Talbot, who will work with us on film projection, props and costumes, to make the piece a bit richer," she said.

Another Worcester group, the Friends of Cripplegate Park, gets £3,600 towards last Saturday's After Dark in the Park event, a multicultural festival of light.

Bishops Wood Environmental Centre, Hartlebury, receives £5,000 to fund artist-led workshops at four new Worcestershire Children Centres, workshops for teachers, an exhibition and a Family Big Draw weekend.

A grant of £6,175 goes to Cuckoo's Nest Theatre Group, of Kidderminster, for a six-month project with Fizzog Theatre Company helping elderly people and those with physical or learning disabilities to develop physical theatre skills.

A project to build capacity for marketing and audience development at the Courtyard, Music Hall and Assembly Rooms in Hereford has been awarded £15,482.

Grants have alsob een awarded to Hereford Photography festival Fringe (£6,500), Alloy, Hereford Jewellers' Group (£4,600) and Hereford Museum and Art Gallery (£3,500).