VOLUNTARY groups supporting residents during the coronavirus pandemic have been awarded almost £22,000 in funding.

Each year, Adur District Council donates cash to local not-for-profit organisations.

This year, The Adur Community Grant is prioritising groups whose work supports people affected by coronavirus – from bereavement and counselling services to a firm offering free domestic abuse legal advice.

Among the recipients are Time To Talk Befriending, a group which supports people over the age of 65 who are lonely, have dementia, or going hungry.

The group will receive £2,000 towards the costs of running a telephone “befriending” service and providing emergency food and supplies to vulnerable people.

Worthing group The Daisy Chain, which provides free domestic abuse legal advice, will receive £1,500 to help support victims of domestic violence, which has increased during the lockdown.

A grant of £5,000 has also been awarded to Community Transport Sussex to help it ferry people to hospital appointments, deliver food parcels and take key workers’ children to school.

The Community Hub, which helps families in need across Shoreham, Southwick and Fishersgate, will receive £1,860.

Organisations including Apron, Cruse Bereavement Services, Homestart, The As You Are Centre and VivaActive have also been awarded funding.

Councillor David Simmons, the council’s executive member for health and wellbeing, said: “After carefully considering which members of our community have been most adversely affected by Covid-19, we have awarded funding to a number of groups that are supporting families in crisis and vulnerable residents to enable them to continue their vital work at this challenging time.”