The grants are part of a £10 million package of investments being taken forward by South Lanarkshire Council through this year’s budget.

There are two funds available – the Climate Emergency and Resilience Fund and the Food Strategy Fund.

Local groups can now bid for grants for a range of purposes, from buying gardening equipment for community food projects, to starting up community recycling schemes, to purchasing sandbags or other flood protection equipment.

Council Leader John Ross said: “When we approved our budget earlier this year our new investments included £2 million for a Climate Emergency Fund and £300,000 for a Food Strategy Support Fund.

“That money is already being put to a variety of good uses, and now we are allocating a large chunk of it to help community groups through the new grants scheme. I hope it will encourage people across South Lanarkshire to think about what they can do in these vital ‘green’ areas.”

Grants of up to £2,500 for climate change projects will come from a £150,000 fund, while grants of £1,000 will be available from a separate £20,000 food fund. A £39,000 fund is also available for grants to address climate adaptation projects (such as flood protection projects). The size of the grants will be kept under review and they will be available for the next two years.

To apply, please go to the Climate Emergency and Food Fund grants page.