CALLINGTON Town Council was 'overwhelmed' with the number of applications it received for a slice of its community cash pot.

Community groups and organisations in the parish were invited to apply to the council for funding for projects to benefit Callington from the £25,000 community benefit payment the council received from the installation of the Haye Road solar farm in 2013.

The closing date for applications was last week and town clerk Helen Dowdall said the council received more than £60,000 worth of funding applications.

She said: 'We were overwhelmed with the response and the suggestions we received as to how people wanted to use the money. We were delighted to receive so many and now we have the unenviable task of prioritising the applications and making a decision.

'We hope to be in a position to benefit a large number of people.'

The council received applications asking for different amounts of funding and will be looking to award several grants.

Councillors will now study all the applications with great consideration and will look to make a recommendation to full council at a meeting on the last Tuesday in June.

The money was given as a community benefit payment from the building of the solar farm. The solar farm development was recommended for refusal by the town council but was approved by Cornwall Council in 2011.

The town council has now gained access to the money from Cornwall Council and wants the money to be used to benefit Callington.