NINETY-SIX riverside parishes in Herefordshire will share £2.44 million of European and Government money to enhance their communities, it was announced this week.

Villages and towns along the Rivers Wye and Lugg and their tributaries the Frome and Arrow have access to an initial £1.9 million to develop river-based arts, sports, tourism and heritage initiatives under the Herefordshire Rivers programme.

The scheme, which aims to preserve the historical, cultural and natural environments of communities in the Wye and Lugg catchment, covers a total of 68,725 people in the county and will run for six years.

Herefordshire Rivers Local Action Group - an off-shoot of the Herefordshire Partnership - successfully secured the funding and will now administer projects.

These include riverside festivals and sporting events, advice and training to improve wildlife conservation and river habitat, environmental work, improved river access for local people and tourists and marketing of local produce and crafts.

"The Herefordshire Rivers programme will give us the opportunity to raise the profile of one of the most important assets we have in Herefordshire - our beautiful rivers and the communities around them," said Cllr Mike Kimbery, Chair of Herefordshire Partnership's Cultural Consortium.

Along with small riverside communities, the programme covers historic market towns like Kington, Leominster, Bromyard and Ross-on-Wye.

Herefordshire Rivers is funded by the European Community LEADER + initiative, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and further funding still to be secured from local sources such as Advantage West Midlands.