COMMUNITY and voluntary projects across Richmondshire are to benefit from a £25,000 cash boost.

The Richmondshire Area Partnerships are looking to support community projects – each of the five partnerships has a £5,000 pot to spend over the next 12 months.

Last year they awarded £28,456 to 54 schemes which cost almost £277,000. Grants went to everything from the Swaledale Festival, the MS Society, a Leyburn 1940s weekend and Richmondshire District Youth Council to parish councils and local scout groups.

Catterick Garrison nature reserve, the Foxglove Covert, was one of the community projects to have benefitted from £500 last year to repair flood damaged footpaths, following flooding last September.

“The grants offered by the Area Partnerships are hugely important in supporting action at a grass roots level, without which many of the social events and voluntary activities would simply cease with local people the losers,” said Councillor John Blackie, Leader of the Council. “Our track record in levering in more than £250,000 of match funding for a spend of around £28,000 proves that our investment in local funding is keeping the wheels well oiled in our local communities in Richmondshire."

There are five partnerships in the Richmondshire District Council area, covering central Richmondshire, the upper dales, Catterick Garrison, north Richmondshire and lower Wensleydale.

Each partnership has a dedicated pot of money to spend on community and voluntary initiatives, as well as projects looking to address the partnership priorities.

Applications to the 2013 to 2014 pot are open until October 1 and all will be considered after that date. There is a maximum grant of £500 available for each project – larger projects should look to the District Councils Communities Opportunities Fund.

The area partnerships were set up to address local needs and issues, and aim to involve communities in decisions affecting them, identify priorities for the local area and deal with any local concerns or issues residents may have.

To apply, visit richmondshire.gov.uk or contact Samantha Coultish on 01748-827026 or Samantha.coultish@richmondshire.gov.uk