A special round of Bolton’s Fund is offering grants of up to £200 so local groups can say thank you to volunteers and celebrate with their community.
Funding has been provided thanks to generous donations from the Sir James and Lady Scott Trust and Bolton at Home.
Funding can be used to organise a celebration event with members and volunteers to say thank you for all their hard work over the year.
Or community groups could organise a local celebration to help residents stay connected.
Examples include organising a Christmas quiz, a children’s party, a local trail joining streets together with themed window dressings or a meal with music and dance.
In previous years, Festive Fund grant recipients have included The Sapphire Partnership.
They used the funds to help members feel less isolated and lonely by providing each person with a journal to record thoughts and feelings to create their own personal stories.
The Reach Family Project, which launched during lockdown, used their Festive Fund Grant to bring their 45 volunteers together face-to-face for the first time.
The group supports elderly, disabled and isolated residents in their area.
Groups can apply online and applications will close on November 20.
Bolton Council's Executive Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, Cllr Mudasir Dean, said:
“Bolton is lucky to have such a strong charity and community sector, backed up by an army of volunteers who work tirelessly all year round.
“Bolton is lucky to have such a strong charity and community sector, backed up by an army of volunteers who work tirelessly all year round.
“This is an ideal opportunity to say thank you to all of them with a warm gesture of appreciation or to bring local communities together to celebrate.
“I would like to thank the Sir James and Lady Scott Trust and Bolton at Home for supporting this year’s Festive Fund.”
Noel Sharpe, Deputy Chief Executive at Bolton at Home Group, said:
“As a key partner in Bolton’s Fund, Bolton at Home is proud to support the many outstanding local charities and community groups.
“Christmas is the ideal opportunity to thank the hard-working volunteers who do so much throughout the year.
“The Festive Fund will help these groups to bring people together, making them even stronger so they can continue doing great things for people and communities.”
Bolton’s Fund is a voluntary sector grants programme delivered by Bolton Council, Bolton CVS, Bolton at Home and NHS Greater Manchester.
Funding is awarded by an independent panel across themed rounds, with each round designed to address a specific need or priority for communities in Bolton.
Funding rounds designed to tackle hate crime and support households with the cost of living are also open for applications.
Visit boltoncvs.org.uk/boltons-fund-0 to find out more.