A community chest of £10,000 has now been made available for projects at the east end of the Island.

Big Local Eastern Sheppey launched the new grant scheme at Warden Bay Village Hall on Friday.

It means organisations in Eastchurch, Leysdown and Warden Bay can now bid for up to £500.

The money will be awarded to support local, small scale community projects aimed at benefiting the lives of local people in the three villages.

These can include expanding existing activities which enhance the quality of residents’ lives or new projects or activities to increase skills and confidence or make the area better. These could include one-off pilots to test new ideas.

Bids can also be made for small capital items, such as equipment which would be available to locals on a regular basis.

The £10,000 sum has been set aside for the first year of the programme and will remain open until May 31.

The deadline for the first round of funding is Friday, November 28.

The Big Local Eastern Sheppey committee includes vice-chairman and Swale councillor Andy Booth, Sarah Williams of Swale CVS, chairman and Leysdown resident Paul Leacock, treasurer and Swale councillor Pat Sandle and Paul Murray of Oasis Academy Isle of Sheppey.

Mr Leacock said: “This is an exciting time for Eastern Sheppey and an opportunity for our community to get involved and deliver new and exciting projects in Leysdown Warden and Eastchurch.

“We are also keen to encourage residents to find out more about what Big Local means to them and to get involved in some of the key decisions that are being taken.”

Big Local awarded £1 million of lottery money to the east end of the Island, which is to be spent over the next 10 years.

• If you are interested, apply to the Big Local Eastern Sheppey Community Grants Fund please email Sarah Williams sarah.williams@swalecvs.co.uk or phone 01795 473828 for an application form or more information.