A COMMUNITY project which aims to help residents in west Suffolk fight unemployment and public spending cuts has been awarded �20,000.

The Sudbury and District Community Forum, a collection of charities and community members in the area, won the vital cash from the Transforming Suffolk Innovation Fund.

Anesta Newson, chief executive of The Bridge Project in Sudbury and a forum member, said: “We are absolutely thrilled about this. It means we can really start supporting people.”

The group, formed earlier this year, hopes to provide a range of services to support residents in the Sudbury area, at a time when public funding and support is being cut.

The project is made up of charities such as Crossroads Care West Suffolk, the Suffolk Befriending Scheme, Sudbury Resource Centre and the Kernos Centre in Sudbury as well as Babergh District Council, Sudbury Town Council and Suffolk County Council.

The group plans to use the cash to put in place systems to help those with mental health issues, learning difficulties, physical disabilities and employment and training issues.

“This is very important for us in Sudbury as we are preparing ourselves for cuts,” Mrs Newson said.