COMMUNITY arts groups in Kirklees have received more than £4,000 from the National Lottery.

The Eye2Eye Theatre company, based in Huddersfield, got £904 to increase the musical component of its theatre-in-education work, particularly among pupils with special needs.

The company will employ guitarist Alan Fairhurst and cellist Charlotte Bishop, in three schools in which they are working.

Despina Hafiz, theatre worker, was awarded £400 to help her attend the conference Sense of Place, which looks at the role of arts and media in societies and identities in Europe, to develop her skills working with culturally diverse people in the arts.

Kirklees based poet Ahmad Lunat received £960 to present a paper on British Gujarati literature at a conference in Surat, India.

The subject of his paper is the development of Gujarati literature in Britain, and particularly Yorkshire.

South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust received £2,750 to Inspire, its creative arts project working with people with mental health problems and learning disabilities.