Cumbrae Community Radio Station were among the beneficiaries of a fund designed to help local communities.

The North Ayrshire Ventures Trust has been running since 2016 and has already provided over £500,000 to local groups over the last two years.

And the Trust – who meet four times a year – have allocated another £310,000 to assist and support organisations across the six North Ayrshire localities.

Last year, Millport Festival Group received £16,000, while Cumbrae Radio were given over £12,000 to be paid over three years.

Station Manager Stevie Muir said: “Cumbrae Community Radio has benefited greatly from the funding supplied by the trust. We were able to purchase vital equipment to increase the quality of broadcasting. The results have been phenomenal and the trust is an asset to the rise of Cumbrae Community Radio."

Clyde Marine Mammal Project also received just over £14,000 in 2016 to help with staffing costs and running costs for their vessels. This has helped them carry out some groundbreaking research.

The trust fund is a grant programme developed to enable voluntary, community and social enterprises in North Ayrshire to explore new opportunities to help them grow in size, improve long-term sustainability and increase their impact, through grants in the range of up to £10,000 and from £10,000-£30,000 over one to three years.

Councillor Louise McPhater, Cabinet Member for Economy, said: “North Ayrshire Ventures Trust has been a fantastic resource for so many different organisations.

“The groups we support are vital and play such a significant role for their communities. We are always delighted to support them and learn about how they’ve used the money and how it has had a positive impact on them, their members and, of course, the wider community.”

For more information email infonavt@north-ayrshire.gov.uk