Funding has been made available from Inverclyde Council’s Community Grants Fund.

A total of 97 groups have been awarded one-off grants totalling just over £245k. 

The fund is aimed at providing financial support to community, sports and voluntary organisations within Inverclyde.

One-off grants of up to £10,000 are available towards things like facilities and running costs, projects, and fee waivers, such as subsidising hall and pitch hire.

The likes of sports clubs, uniformed organisations, music and theatre groups, churches and charities have all received funding.

Among the organisations that have successfully applied for funding is the award-winning Compassionate Inverclyde which will receive £3,000 towards hall hire and its work supporting people, particularly the elderly, who experience isolation and loneliness.

The Royal West of Scotland Amateur Boat Club will also receive £3k towards the installation of an external stair lift and conversion of a storeroom to an accessible toilet.

Councillor Graeme Brooks, chair of the grants sub-committee, said: “I know first-hand what a difference these grants will make to so many groups across Inverclyde doing excellent work at the heart of our communities.

“Whether it’s promoting sport and fitness, tackling loneliness and isolation, or helping to make existing facilities more accessible, the council’s Community Grants Fund supports a wide range of organisations supporting people from all backgrounds in our towns and villages.

“The pot is limited and we received requests for almost three times the funding we have available so we’ve tried to be as fair as possible and spread the money as far and wide and to a diverse mix of groups to support their various activities.”

Other groups receiving funding are RIG Arts, which has been awarded £3k to towards ‘Creativity in Mind Plus’ workshops to benefit adults with disabilities and/or long-term conditions through arts-driven mental health support.

Port Glasgow Boys and St Andrew’s Boys football clubs will each receive £7.5k to support towards hire of facilities for training/matches while Greenock & District Scout Council and Inverclyde & District Battalion The Boys Brigade have each been awarded £3.75k to help with running costs and hall hire.

Charities are also benefitting from funding, including £7.5k for Port Glasgow Voluntary Transport to continue providing free community minibus travel, £3.75k for mental health and wellbeing support group The Anchor, and £3.5k for The Haven in Kilmacolm, which supports people who are struggling with addiction.

The full list of the organisations which received funding can be found here.