WORCESTERSHIRE Racial Equality Council has been awarded a £20,000 grant to build good race relations and tackle discrimination in the county.

The money has been awarded through the Commission for Racial Equality's (CRE) and its Getting Results funding programme.

It is good news for the WREC, which last year missed out on £125,000 worth of grants, including £60,000 from the CRE - following 12 months of problems at the charity which culminated in the chief executive, Dr Mohammed Aslam, quitting.

Peter Oteng, present chief executive at the WREC, said the money had been applied for in the wake of the bombings in London on Thursday, July 7, 2005.

"We are delighted to have received the cash," added Mr Oteng.

"We were concerned about the ethnic minorities living in Worcestershire and how the bombings affected them. We formed a forum of all religious groups and this money will go towards building a good relationship between all religions and educating young people."

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the CRE, said: "CRE funding through Getting Results is a crucial part of our integration agenda.

"Ensuring greater interaction among different communities is the hardest challenge with the most urgent need.

"We have spoken about the way our communities are drifting apart and this funding is part of the practical action to reverse this trend."

Mr Phillips added that this year, the CRE had received bids totalling £14.3m with only £4.2m to go around.

"Recent events have put our local partners on the front line, encouraging and reconciling fractured communities," he said.

"We want to ensure that the invaluable work we have invested in over the past 30 years, continues."