LOCAL groups will find out later this month whether they have been successful in bidding for a slice of a £50,000 cash pot.

Argyll and Bute Council has grants of up to £5,000 available to community organisations for projects to improve their local environment.

Nearly 50 groups have applied for the one-off funding and all those who met the criteria are now being reviewed.

Projects people have asked for grants to help with range from transforming wasteland into community gardens and growing areas, to improving picnic areas, beach cleans and litter education.

Requests have ranged from £150 for a litter pick to £5,000 to upgrade community facilities.

Policy Lead for Roads and Amenity Services, Councillor Roddy McCuish, said: “Thank you to everyone who took the time to put in a funding bid to us.

“So many of the ideas submitted are excellent and will really help keep Argyll and Bute looking bright and beautiful and provide communities with long-lasting improvements to their environment.

"We made this money available as part of a £200,000 investment aimed at tackling litter, dog fouling and marine litter.

“It’s fantastic that local residents are getting on board and actively getting involved by offering to take on community projects.

“We are carefully considering every bid and, while we have had requests for more funding than is available, and not every project meets the criteria, this will certainly make a difference in many communities.”

Any funds left over because of projects not meeting the criteria will go to improvements in waste collection and civic amenity sites across Argyll and Bute.

The £200,000 has also funded four environmental wardens for the next year, with the focus on the issues of litter and dog fouling.