THERE'S only a short time left for community groups in South East Cornwall to apply for their share of £3,000 of grant funding for healthy living projects.

South East Cornwall Healthy Living Forum is accepting applications for this year's small grants scheme until Friday 1 October. The fund provides grants of up to £300 for initiatives that help improve health in the area.

To be eligible for funding, projects must either support community involvement through active recreation, support the arts for health within the community or promote health and well-being in the community.

Derris Watson from the healthy living forum said: 'The grant scheme is funded by the health promotion service and boosts local health in the widest sense.

Some of the projects in South East Cornwall that benefited from the first round of funding in June included a new residents' association, a carnival, a breastfeeding support group, a walking group, and a choir which received a grant for a new keyboard, bench and sheet music.

'We want to make sure that as many local people as possible gain from the grants by funding lots of small projects across south-east Cornwall.

'Cookery clubs, arts schemes, community gardens, sports groups, music and drama projects and other health related projects could all benefit, but applications must be in by October 1.'

For further information about the grants contact Diane Warren, the Health Promotion Service's assistant community health development co-ordinator on 01209 313419.