A GROUP which supports adults across South Craven has received a £4,000 boost.

Skipton Step Into Action has been awarded the cash by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

In total, the trust has distributed a £100,000 grant pot to community organisations in – or that benefit – the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas.

Support has been provided by the People’s Postcode Lottery.

Mike Appleton, grants officer at the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, says: "Our staff and trustees have nominated groups that will most benefit from the extra cash, to cover revenue costs such as salaries, rent, insurance, fuel and transport.

"We're really pleased to be helping organisations that provide vital services, particularly during the winter.

"We know this time of year can be challenging for many charities and groups, particularly during the cost-of-living crisis, and these funds will enable them to do more to help the most vulnerable in our society."

Skipton Step Into Action – which was founded during the pandemic – supports people in the town and South Craven, offering safe spaces, activities, befriending services and other projects.

Its chief executive officer, Charlotte McKeown, says: "This award will make a huge difference to the people we support.

"During the winter months it is essential we can offer a warm, safe space for people to go and connect with others.

"This grant will ensure we can offer a warm meal for everyone who attends our weekly wellbeing cafe; it means so much for people to be able to share and enjoy a meal with others, especially when they live alone. And thanks to the grant, we can also provide more activities and resources at our weekly Nurturing Growth project."

Laura Chow, head of charities at the People’s Postcode Lottery, says: "Community is at our heart, but this can be a challenging time of year for lots of people. So I’m really pleased that funding raised by our players is going to mean community groups, like Skipton Step Into Action, can help people across the Yorkshire Dales to connect and feel a little less isolated."

The latest awards are in addition to £250,000 of funding that has been distributed this year as part of the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust's ongoing grants programme, in which groups can apply for up to £10,000 for projects that support people to live in, visit and care for the Dales.

For more details, visit ydmt.org/what-we-do/grants