NEIGHBOURS are excited to start making a "real difference" to their community after they were given nearly £300,000 lottery money.

The Grange Estate, in East Finchley, was given the money by the National Lottery to help revitalise the area. Money will go towards the Font Hills and Thomas More estates.

Volunteers have now been given and workers were left delighted after being given £292,950 to spend in the next two years.

It forms part of a £1m grant awarded to the group in 2014 to help revitalise the area.

Chairwoman Pat Murphy, who lives in the Grange estate in said: “We can now start making a real difference on the ground in our pocket of East Finchley and we are also planning on engaging people in other parts of the area including the Font Hills and Thomas More estates.

“We have lots of exciting ideas, including holding our annual festival in September, working with local charities, and improving the facilities in the area.”

The grant is made to CommUNITY Barnet, which is working with the Grange Big Local Partnership and funding is supported through Big Local and administered by Local Trust for the Big Lottery Fund.