COMMUNITY groups can now apply for a share of a £120,000 Inverclyde Council fund aimed at supporting residents during the cold winter months.

One-off grants are available from the local authority’s Warm Hand of Friendship initiative.

The scheme is designed to support activities during the cold winter months that provide residents with access to spaces, resources, and advice as temperatures plummet and prices rise.

Inverclyde’s Warm Hand of Friendship 2024/25 opened on Thursdayduring Challenge Poverty Week.

Applications submitted by 5pm on Thursday, October 31 will be assessed prior to the Christmas period.

Thereafter, applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until all the funding is awarded.

Grants will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Inverclyde’s Warm Hand of Friendship launched in 2022 in response to the cost of living crisis and funding was recently approved to continue the initiative for three more years.

For more information about the scheme, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit www.inverclyde.gov.uk/warmspaces.