Thousands of pounds have been set aside to teach migrant workers English.

The National Lottery has given £6,959 to Cornerstone Community Centre in Church Road, Hove, to fund language classes for low-paid workers.

About 1,900 migrant workers registered with Brighton and Hove City Council between 2004 and 2008.

The new evening classes are designed for low-income workers or people from outside the European Union whose partners work or study in the UK.

Cornerstone centre manager Angela Sandrino said: “The centre received many enquires last year from people working in unskilled jobs such as catering, construction and care homes.

“They were frustrated because they wanted to improve their language skills but were unable to find English classes suitable to their needs.

“The staff, board and volunteers of Cornerstone are delighted at such a positive result and are now preparing to work at making this project a success, giving many hard-working people an opportunity to improve their communication skills and improve their ability to integrate into British life.”