The North Highland Initiative (NHI) has distributed further grants to communities to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Community organisations can apply for grants of up to £1,000 to provide assistance and support to their most vulnerable – with emergency food banks, school meals and community response schemes already set up in Ross and Cromarty, Caithness and Sutherland as a result.
Priority is being given to those initiatives ineligible for government support and those that do not meet the criteria for emergency grants.
More than 15 community groups have already been awarded grants totalling more than £14,000 from NHI’s Community Support Programme, Farr Primary Parent Council at Farr High School in Bettyhill for crisis food provision.
David Whiteford, chairman of the North Highland Initiative, said: “We’ve had an amazing response to our community support programme so far, but we want to encourage even more community groups from across the north Highlands to apply.
“This vital new initiative is a means of financial help, aimed at communities that are experiencing particular hardship as a result of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
“With a limit of £1,000 of funding per project available, this allows us to provide multiple smaller grants aimed at reaching out to as many communities as possible.”
Applications are still being taken, although NHI has warned the distribution of funds will be assessed in line with the government’s restrictions. Visit www.northhighlandinitiative.co.uk