A £2,800 grant that will help fund cookery workshops for youngsters and adults is causing a stir in Rose Hill.

The Green Square Group’s Rose Hill Lottery project was awarded the cash by High Sheriff Graham Upton at an awards ceremony held at the beginning of this month.

As well as the cookery workshops, the project will organise four community lunches over the course of the next year for the estate’s residents.

Fran Gardner, Rose Hill community worker for the Green Square Group, said: “We are really thrilled to have been chosen for the High Sheriff Community Integration Awards.

“We will use the money to develop cookery courses for adults and children on the estate.

“The benefit is to learn how to prepare healthy food on a budget.”

She added: “Our work in Rose Hill centres on food as a way of bringing diverse parts of this community together.

“Food poverty on the estate is increasing and this funding will allow us to teach residents the skills needed to produce good, nutritious and tasty food on a tight budget.”

The community lunches, which are yet to be organised, will take place once every three months over the next year.

Ms Gardner said: “We are looking at various venues.

“We are looking at having a summer picnic at the Rivermead Nature Reserve in Rose Hill.”

The details of the cookery workshops are also yet to be announced.

Charmaine Swift, school manager at Rose Hill Primary School, said: “For us it is a brilliant idea because it helps children to learn to cook healthly as they grow up.

“It is good for the future – they will be able to look after themselves.”

In total, 28 organisations applied for a share of the £8,000 pot, but there was only four successful organisations including Green Square Group, Cowley Road Works, Nepalese Community Oxfordshire, and Slade and Headington Children’s Centre.

They have been offered addition mentoring if needed.

Mr Upton said: “It is important to us that the groups do not just receive money and then feel unsupported, we want to help create sustainable projects therefore if groups need mentors to help, we can provide that.”

Ten-year-old Ryan said: “The classes are a really good idea. I like cooking and I would like to go to the classes.”

Nanio, 11, added: “They are lots of fun for children and children could help their parents with cooking.”