KEIGHLEY-based grant-giving charity the Craven Trust has come of age.

The organisation has been giving vitally-needed grants of a few hundred pounds each to community groups for the past 21 years.

Many village halls, sports clubs, church and youth groups have received grants of between £100 and £1,500 for grassroots projects.

Some of the smaller beneficiaries do not have the expertise to embark on the complicated process of applying for grants from better-known organisations like the lottery.

Craven Trust staff, based at Central Hall in Alice Street, offer one-to-one support in making applications, and trust members make personal visits to see the projects at first-hand.

They include Keighley’s Memory Tree group for people with dementia, which was given a Craven Trust grant to enable it to open long enough to seek long-term funding from other grant bodies.

The Craven Trust provided cash for the Friends of Cross Roads Park to plant flowering shrubs to soften the impact of fencing installed around the bowling green.

The British Red Cross bought wheelchairs for Keighley residents with their grant, the Soaring Eagles Karate Club was able to buy new mats and Keighley Sea Cadets spent a £950 grant on setting up a new drum corps.

Haworth Riding for the Disabled – whose members take part in the Special Olympics – spent their recent Craven Trust grant on jackets that riders could wear during competitions around the UK.

The Craven Trust was established following a conversation during a welcoming party for the new Archdeacon of Craven.

Volunteers adopted a boundary based on the ancient diocese of Craven, encompassing Keighley, the Yorkshire Dales and a small part of East Lancashire, incorporating both rural parishes and multi-cultural towns.

A large investment pot was raised through donations and legacies and, since then, trustees have paid grants from interest on the fund.

The trust has given out £380,000 to 650 groups during the past 21 years, donating £21,715 to 29 good causes in the past 12 months.

Trust chairman, Caroline Schwaller, one of the founder members, said: “This volunteer-led, hands-on trust prides itself on providing ‘local money for local needs’, ensuring our small grants make such a difference.”

The Craven Trust is keen to build up its endowment fund during its anniversary year, so it has more money available for the regular grant-giving.

Anyone who wishes to make a donation, support fundraising or apply for a grant should visit craventrust.org.uk or e-mail enquiries@craventrust.org.uk for more details.