GRANT aid of £1,500 has been allocated to three organisations to help benefit the community.

Okehampton Town Council's policy committee last week decided to give the maximum allocation of £500 each to Young Devon's Young Carers Project, West Devon Citizens Advice Bureau, and St John Ambulance.

Young Devon is a charity that challenges negative stereotypes of young people, secure young people's right to participate and be meaningfully involved in society and assists in young people building life skills.

The money will be put towards funding trips for youngsters who are carers for parents or siblings, or whose parents are carers for someone else, and would not otherwise have an opportunity to enjoy some free time.

The Young Carers Project is designed to give young carers some free time where they can enjoy themselves and forget their responsibilities.

Young Devon has offices in Okehampton, Exeter, Tavistock and other towns throughout the county. The Okehampton service is based at Room 13 on St James Street.

The Okehampton branch of St John Ambulance has been given the money in recognition of its support of town events. St John is the UK's leading first aid charity dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services.

The council also pledged to support the work of the West Devon CAB, which provides free, impartial advice to people in rural West Devon. It gives general advice on subjects including debt, benefits and other problems encountered through life.

The council allocated £10,000 to be distributed to local organisations and charities earlier this year, following the election of town mayor Maureen McDonald. It regularly reviews grant aid applications. There will be a cap of a £500 maximum amount the council will grant from this £10,000 allocation, in an effort to spread the money as fairly and wisely as possible.