COMMUNITY groups in Craven are celebrating after each receiving £500 donations from Skipton Building Society.

Pass On Preloved Items, The Sunbeam Support Group, Skipton Juniors Football Club and Embsay and Eastby Good Neighbours were winners in the building society's Grassroots Giving Scheme.

Other winners were Friends of Silsden Park, Buddies, The Practice Health Champions and Upper Wharfedale School Performing Arts Department.

Now in its sixth year, Grassroots Giving is awarding £500 to 165 small community organisations across the country.

After making it through to shortlisting stage, the building society described the work of each group on its website, and asked people to vote for their favourite.

David Cutter, Skipton Building Society’s group chief executive, said: “These self-funded groups work hard to improve their local community and we’re proud that this funding from Skipton will play a huge role in their future growth.

“Often small groups are out on a limb and struggle to gain funding from elsewhere, as they are not registered charities. Grassroots Giving enables us to really get to the heart of our local communities and we love being able to help causes that we see in action in our local neighbourhoods."

He added: “We know that the money they receive will make an impact and this is really important to us. It’s been a pleasure to inform these groups that we are able to support them and we look forward to their updates throughout 2018.”

Pass On Preloved Items collects donations of items for babies and young children from the public and distributes them to families that need them via support agencies

The Sunbeam Support Group provides support for families in Craven and in Keighley following the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death.

Skipton Juniors Football Club’s aim is to provide the opportunity for both boys and girls to learn football and life skills, as well as providing a supportive and safe environment where they can have fun.

Embsay and Eastby Good Neighbours is a voluntary organisation offering help and befriending to residents of Embsay and Eastby villages under a “Good Neighbours” scheme.

Friends of Silsden Park work for the conservation and enhancement of the park for the benefit of all sections of the community.

Buddies is made up of parents who have children with special needs and provides the opportunity for the children to access activities they may not ordinarily be able to.

The Practice Health Champions’ aim is to improve the physical and mental well-being of people living in Craven and provides support within the community for the elderly, socially isolated and lonely within the Skipton area.

Upper Wharfedale School has been improving its Performing Arts department over the last five years and now regularly performs musicals for the public in the school hall, which are enjoyed by all and have enjoyed positive reviews.

As part of its Grassroots Giving initiative, Skipton Building Society has also launched a series of free resources covering a range of key areas for community groups, which can all be downloaded from: skiptongrg.co.uk/free-resources.