COMMUNITY and voluntary groups have applied to a council for financial help - but several have had to be turned down.

A total of 15 groups applied for the latest round of Adur Community Grants with a funding pot of nearly £36,000 available.

The scheme has been running for 16 years and during this time more than £835,000 has been awarded for 245 different projects.

Five groups were successful this year, including: Brighton and Hove Albion FC’s official charity Albion In The Community; Cycall, a group dedicated to making cycling accessible; and Vida Active Club CIC which runs exercise classes for the over 60s.

This year Adur District Council received requests for funding totalling £82,000, which it said was down to the impact of the pandemic on the non-profit sector.

This means ten groups have had their funding bids turned down, including two local football clubs, a community tree planting group, and an organisation which works with women at risk of sexual exploitation.

The Argus: Albion In The Community was one of the organisations awarded funding by the councilAlbion In The Community was one of the organisations awarded funding by the council

A report by the council’s interim director for communities said the pandemic had a serious effect.

It said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the local third sector hard, the impact taking its toll on two key areas – their resources (staff, volunteers and the ways in which they can now work) and their financial income.

“All at a time when the experience, expertise and services of not-for-profit organisations are needed more than ever to support our most vulnerable residents to re-emerge and recover from the pandemic.”

Due to the high demand for funds this year, the council prioritised projects which will help local people who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Bids that supported core costs, including salaries and operational costs, were also prioritised as securing this kind of funding can be difficult for non-profits.