COMMUNITY groups in the Helensburgh and Lomond area are being encouraged to apply for a share of the Sheds Grant Fund as it opens again for applications to help support the set-up of community shed spaces.

Sheds are community workshop spaces where people come together to take part in practical skills and activities.

They are designed and run by their members and provide opportunities for people to share tools, resources and skills in order to create, learn and develop social networks.

Older people’s charity Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), with funding from the Asda Foundation, run the Sheds Grant Fund to provide small scale funding to projects looking for help with either set up or next stage development costs.

Jo Phillips, Sheds project manager at the RVS, said: “Each Shed is unique due to its location and the activities that the members want to undertake in the space.

"Whether it is for woodworking, gardening, model making, weaving or electronics, we are delighted to be able to give a helping hand to local communities who want to get a community based Shed up and running.”

The Sheds Grant Fund is ran in conjunction with the four national Shed Associations representing and supporting Sheds in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Jason Schroeder, executive officer of the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association said: “We are thrilled that by working together with our national partners we can support this kind of initiative to help benefit individuals, their families, and local communities.”