Government minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi met mothers to mark the 400th award of a grant aimed at weaving diverse communities together.

The minister for faith and communities joined mothers from the Marion Richardson school in Stepney who are taking part in a Church Urban Fund project at the Departure Arts Café in Commercial Road, Limehouse on Monday.

The project is the 400th to be awarded the ‘Near Neighbours Grant’.

Tory life peer Baroness Warsi said: “Reaching the 400th grant is a real milestone and it shows that, by using faith networks’ existing infrastructure, we can make a real impact in communities.

“It was fantastic to hear first-hand how these small grants are making such a big difference to the lives of local people and I’m sure they will have a lasting effect on everyone involved.”

The Church Urban Fund project aims to bring together a group of mothers from backgrounds ranging from Bengali to Russian.