Gravely ill people in Bradford - many of them children - will benefit from more than £2 million of lottery cash.

The money from the New Opportunities Fund will be given to nursing teams over the next three years to boost the care they give to terminally ill people in their own homes.

Families grieving the loss of a child will also receive extra help, with a slice of the cash going to develop bereavement services in the city.

All four of the district's Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) will get money to expand their community palliative care.

Airedale PCT gets £399,000 while Bradford City, Bradford South and West PCT and North Bradford PCT will each get £398,816.

More patients will be cared for in their own homes, as the money will be used to extend existing nursing teams.

The nurses mainly support people with cancer but also provide care for those with other conditions such as heart failure and chronic lung disease.

The extra cash will help extend the psychological support they give patients and extend staff training.

"This is very good news and a welcome boost," said Richard Longbottom, assistant director of commissioning for North Bradford PCT.

"This is a welcome opportunity to further extend an already highly regarded service to patients with other chronic diseases who require palliative care.

"Many people do not want to go into a hospice or hospital. This is a fantastic way of extending the services so people can be cared for in their homes or other chosen environment."

Cheryl Kirby, assistant director of community services for Airedale PCT, said staff were delighted with the funding which would mean more proactive support for patients from the point of diagnosis.

Bradford City PCT has also been awarded £400,000 for the Bradford district home-based palliative care team for children and young people, a scheme which covers the whole Bradford and Airedale district.

Ruth Hayward, planning manager for the district children's team, said the money would enable every family to be allocated a key worker able to co-ordinate the work of all the agencies involved in the care of their child.

"This will give them a single point of contact and will reduce stress and anxiety," she said.

Bradford Family Services Unit, a voluntary-sector organisation, will also get £72,425 to appoint a new Asian therapeutic worker for its bereavement service.

Warwick Turnbull, acting service manager, said: "Without the lottery money this would not have been possible."