THE Ludlow Rotary Club has been making a series of donations to good causes.

Ludlow Rotary Cares was created by the Rotary Club of Ludlow in order to engage with the local community.

Started last year, it has distributed around £9,000 to small voluntary groups and charities.

Thanks to the fund raising success of the Dog Day held in July, the club has been able to increase the overall fund available from £3,000 to £5,000.

Organisations were asked to submit requests for up to five hundred pounds.

Eleven were chosen from around 30 applications. Seven were based in Ludlow and four came from villages within 15 miles of the town.

All support community activities and events that help improve life in the area, particularly young people.

Awards were made to Riding for the Disabled, South Shropshire Gymnastics Club, First Ludlow Scouts Group, Neen Savage Parish Hall, Ludlow Male Voice Choir, Ludlow Youth Partnership, Clee St Margaret Village Hall, Homestart Ludlow, Leintwardine Craven Arms Youth Group and Bishops Castle Public Hall.

These groups came together at the Ludlow Mascall Centre to explain what the money would enable them to do.

Two Rotarians were joined by Clive Leworthy of the Shropshire Community Council and Paul Draper, Mayor of Ludlow, to form a panel to consider the requests and to make the awards.