BROADCASTERS of the future are being created at a village school near Devizes which has just received a grant of £3,000 to support the work of its radio club.

Richard Borman head of All Cannings is delighted that the money from Devizes Area Board has been added to cash raised by the school's friends association and the village to buy equipment.

He said: "Pupils, parents and staff at All Cannings School have long understood the importance of developing good speaking and listening skills and the pupils now have a new learning opportunity to demonstrate and improve their oracy skills with a new school radio station.

"Project leads Polly Andrews and Lindsey Wallace are confident that this new learning opportunity will take the outstanding school to even greater heights.

"After just one day of training with radio expert Russell Prue, a team of children produced a 25-minute programme, which they broadcast live to the rest of the school. This, and future broadcasts will be available to listen to on the internet, although there are plans to broadcast live in the future."

Music shows are also being created for children to listen to at lunch times and the school has voted for first six tracks which vary from pop to classics.

The club is now working on an educational programme for the children's ward at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon on the Ancient Maya.

The area board was told several grants had been made under delegated powers. These include £1,200 for the Market Lavington Tuesday Club towards chairs and tables.

Potterne Parish Council received £1,500 , towards educational events to commemorate the centenary of the end of WW1 and Devizes Town Band, Devizes Children’s Choir and St Johns Church Choir received £2, 000 towards the Devizes Commemoration of end of WW1 Concert.

A new grants of £410 was made to Clock Inn Park Residents Association towards a defibrillator.

Community groups in Wiltshire will also benefit from the Co-op's local community fund which will be giving out cash throughout the year. The amount of the grants is yet to be decided but Devizes Opendoors is on the list for money to help provide a night shelter and Busy Kids Bromham who want to transform its outdoor play space into an all-weather area.

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community Engagement at the Co-op, said: “The more people shop, the more we share, and the more impact we can have in communities. People can get involved by becoming a member, swiping their card, and choosing the cause they want to support. By choosing their local cause, our members are telling us what really matters in their communities.

“Last year we invested £19 million in over 4,000 groups UK-wide, supporting a wide range of initiatives from village halls and community spaces to skills initiatives and neighbourhood watch schemes, all of which are helping to make communities across the UK safer, happier, and healthier places to live.”