FIFTY community groups from across Inverclyde are sharing £90k in a winter warmer cash boost.

The good causes are benefiting from the second year of the council’s Warm Hand of Friendship project.

Groups were invited to apply for up to £3k of a £100,000 fund to help them put on regular groups, events and activities in their community.

All the grants have been paid out this week, meaning the organisations will receive them in time for Christmas.

Council leader Stephen McCabe said: “I’m delighted we have been able to help so many community groups for another year.

“This will be a welcome boost for them and the wider communities they serve going into the new year.

“The feedback from the first Warm Hand of Friendship scheme last winter showed what a difference it made to community groups and residents who benefited from a range of events, activities and advice.

“I would like to thank council officers for their quick turnaround of the scheme and getting payments into group’s bank accounts before Christmas.”

The organisations which have received grants plan to offer a range of activities and support, including running soup and sandwiches drop-ins, meeting travel costs, providing warm clothing and setting up social groups for children and older adults.

Lyle Gateway in Greenock received £2,250.

Derek Mitchell, community development leader for the centre, said: “We are very grateful to receive this funding, as it will allow us to open our doors for an additional day each week over the winter months.

“We have chosen to open our doors on a Friday in recognition of the lack of services over the weekend.

“We recognise in today’s financial climate that there are people in our community having to make choices over the winter period between food and heating or electricity.

“We see what we do as going beyond simply providing food. We want to ensure that those coming through our doors are invited to be a part of our larger community.

“Where appropriate we will link people with other third sector and statutory organisations to provide the best support to the individuals we will be working with.

A total of £100,000 was agreed to be allocated to the fund by councillors in November.

The 50 awards that have just been approved come to a total of £89,566.

From January, applications will be reviewed on a weekly, rolling basis until the remainder of the fund has been allocated, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The inaugural Warm Hand of Friendship scheme provided 51 grants to 44 community groups and supported just over 10,000 people across nearly 1,300 sessions between October 2022 and March 2023.

Money for the project has come from the council’s anti-poverty fund.

More information about the Warm Hand of Friendship scheme, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, is available on the Inverclyde Council website at www.inverclyde.gov.uk/warmspaces