Terminally ill children and adults across the East of England are to benefit from �7.5m from the National Lottery.

The grant includes �2.6m funding for care of children by health trusts in Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

It also includes �1.8m for East Anglia's Children's Hospices - which operates centres in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

About �1.5m will be used to provide care for adults.

Funding welcomed

This figure includes grants to the Great Yarmouth and Waveney Hospice at Home Care organisation.

Graham Collins, the chief executive officer of East Anglia's Children's Hospices, welcomed Wednesday's announcement.

He said: "This funding will underpin our existing high quality services at each of our three hospices."

Organisations that stand to benefit from the grants include:

Norwich Primary Health Care Trust

Maldon and South Chelmsford Primary Health Care Trust

Central Suffolk Primary Health Care Trust

Watford and Three River Primary Health Care Trust

East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Primary Care Trust.