Rural community projects could be in with the chance of a grant of up £5,000 thanks to a new national funding pot.

Depending on the size of the project, there are two grants of £5,000, two of £2,500 and five, £1,000 grants, up for grabs.

The Fund has been launched at rural energy provider Calor to give off-grid communities the chance to gain funding for projects that will improve local life.

Paul Blacklock, Calor’s corporate affairs manager, said “We provide rural energy to homes and businesses in the region and understand the challenges that country living can pose, especially when it comes to accessing community facilities.

“So we decided we’d like to give something back, by offering rural off grid communities the chance to source some much-needed funds for a project that will make a real difference in their area.

“Projects we support could be anything from community centres, village halls and sporting venues to youth clubs and scout groups, or they could be initiatives to support the elderly - we’re really open to ideas, big or small!

“Application is via our dedicated website, which will open for entries on April 3 for a period of six weeks.”

Accepted projects will be published online and the community must vote for their favourite, before short listing finalists.”

• For details www.calor.co.uk/communityfund.