A £2MILLION fund will help community organisations, groups and clubs disrupted by the pandemic get back up and running.

Open to bids from all grassroots and voluntary initiatives, the council's Our Community Recovery Fund (OCRF) was unveiled as part of the authority's 2021/22 budget.

A first round of applications – with allocations of up to £500 available – will open in the next few weeks with further slots available throughout the next 12 months.

Potential recipients are being encouraged to show how their projects will boost community spirit, engage volunteers and align with important issues in their local area.

Cllr Chris Ready, cabinet member for communities, said: “We want groups, clubs and organisations of all kinds to come forward and tell us why they need help to get back on their feet.

“We know the pandemic has impacted our residents in a number of ways and we will be feeling the effects for a while yet, there have been difficult times but our sense of community spirit has shone through this past year.

“The OCRF will touch all parts of the community and we’re excited to see what initiatives we can support.”

Several application windows – each open for six weeks – are scheduled at regular intervals through until January/February 2022.

More details of the first window will be shared in the new few weeks, the council said.

The OCRF will be operated in similar fashion to the popular Community Investment Fund, which has seen more than £10m invested in community projects as part of The Deal 2030.

Cllr Ready added: “The success of the Deal for Communities Investment Fund speaks for itself with so many amazing projects helped by it over a number of years.

“Please get in touch, tell us how you would like to spend the money and outline what the positive outcomes are.

“With the OCRF, we can all work together to ensure our recovery plans help us to build back better, stronger and fairer.”

Further details on how to apply will be released in the next few weeks.