Community projects invited to enter an awards programme

Community projects in Greater Manchester are invited to enter an awards programme which could see them share a funding boost of £75,000 to make a real difference in their local area.

Now in its fifth year, the Yorkshire Bank Spirit of the Community Awards 2017 is open for applications.

Yorkshire Bank will make donations to recognise and support community projects which are going the extra mile. Registered charities and not for profit organisations are invited to enter their projects into the awards scheme under one of three categories: projects which help people to have a healthy relationship with money, projects which help people to improve their local environment and projects which help people into employment.

The awards are open to a range of initiatives across the third sector which can demonstrate support for the local community. This could include projects helping to upskill people for the workplace, ventures promoting healthy relationships with money, or schemes aiming to protect the environment.

Five projects will be selected in each of the three categories and all 15 winners will be awarded £5,000 each.

Debbie Crosbie, Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank Foundation, said: “Yorkshire Bank’s Spirit of the Community Awards aim to recognise and support the vital contribution that voluntary and charitable projects make to their local communities.

“There has been so much fantastic work carried out across hundreds of organisations who provide such vital resources for local communities over the past four years. It is hugely inspiring to see just how much of a difference these awards have made at grass roots level.”

Yorkshire Bank’s sister organisation, Clydesdale Bank will also award £75,000 to support local projects in Scotland as part of the programme. This brings the total funds available for community initiatives up and down the country to £150,000.

For further information about the Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank Foundation’s Spirit of the Community Awards or to enter, people can visit www.ybonline.co.uk/foundation or go into their local Yorkshire Bank branch to receive an application form.

The closing date for applications is Monday 6 March 2017 and the winners will be announced in summer 2017.