COMMUNITY and voluntary groups in Cornwall have benefited from Cornwall Council community chest grants worth more than £104,000 over the last eight months and there’s still time for local organisations to apply for funding.

Each of Cornwall Council’s 123 councillors has a total fund of £2,000 to support projects run by not-for-profit groups in their local area.

So far they have handed out 368 grants that have benefited a wide range of people and activities from community facilities and environmental projects to schemes promoting healthy living, music and sport.

Cornwall councillors have given grants towards everything from skate parks to public access defibrillators. Many groups have used the grants to attract match funding, leading to nearly £670,000 more pouring in to local projects and organisations.

Jeremy Rowe, Cornwall Council localism portfolio holder, said: ‘These small grants can make a big difference. They are spread across a wide range of community groups, and support so many diverse projects that they touch the lives of a huge number of local people. By using the community chest grants to secure match funding from other grant providers, some groups have been able to multiply their value many times over, benefiting their communities even more.

‘There’s still time for local organisations to apply for funding from this year’s community chest grants. Talk to your Cornwall councillor to find out whether they can support your application.’

Not-for-profit groups can apply for community chest grants of between £100 and £1,000. Details are available on www.cornwall.gov.k/ communitychest and the closing date for applications is February 12, 2016.