A QUARTER of a million pounds is being dished out to charities and voluntary groups by the The Sirius Minerals Foundation.

The Foundation is the charitable arm of Anglo American’s Woodsmith mine project being built near Whitby and on Teesside.

The new round of funding has been launched to help local charities and voluntary groups on the North Yorkshire coast recover from the coronavirus crisis.

A total pot of £250,000 is being made available to help with their costs as they adapt their ways of working in the challenging environment created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Awards of between £500 and £15,000 are available for the development of new digital services needed as a result of the pandemic, or to help cover funding gaps.

David Archer, Chairman of the Foundation, said: “Covid-19 has affected everyone in one way or another, but none more so than the charitable sector, who have seen their funding dry up while demand for their services has continued, if not increased.

“We want to help them to help our communities, because they’re needed now more than ever.”

Charities can apply for one of two schemes, a ‘Digital Success Programme’ and a ‘Regroup and Rebuild Programme.’

Mr Archer said: “Frontline workers in the NHS have attracted much of the attention of the media during the pandemic, and rightly so for their heroic work, but many don’t realise how many community health and support services are provided by the voluntary sector."

Interested groups should apply via siriusmineralsfoundation.com