A £38,000 Lottery grant will help south Oxfordshire youngsters dance for joy.

The money, from the Regional Arts Lottery Programme, will be used to develop dance opportunities across the area.

The three-year project will start with taster sessions in Thame - where a new dance studio is being developed - and also Wheatley and Didcot.

Claire Cox, the council's arts development officer, is working to set up dates for the project.

The award builds on work already completed in dance and forms part of the council's dance development plan.

Council chairman Eleanor Hards said: "This is great news to help young people learn about different dance disciplines, and to try them out.

"The project aims to get more youngsters involved in dance - learning new skills, meeting new people and, for some, to perform in front of audiences."