NEW ideas and projects are wanted to make use of almost £500,000 sitting in Largs' Common Good Fund.

Documents from North Ayrshire Council show the pot has a projected balance of £425,819, with the fund only falling by around £6,000 every year.

It has historically been used to get projects off the ground for the benefit of the town and has also contributed to the running of the Largs Viking Festival.

In the past year, the fund has seen income of just over £25,000, from sources including rent from Douglas Park Bowling Club, Haylie House and the Douglas Park Tennis Club and nursery.

Expenditure touched just over £22,000 in the past 12 months, with costs for electricity, grounds maintenance and administrative fees for projects in the town.

A sum of £10,000 is available every year for grant funding, leaving the pot dropping by just under £7,000 in the past year.

Fears were raised in 2017 by Councillor Alan Hill that the fund could run dry as it was found to be losing around £30,000 annually as it struggled to fund works at parks in the town.

However, following a decrease in the maintenance figures, Councillor Hill is inviting individuals, groups and organisations to come forward if they believe they have a project which will benefit Largs.

He said: “We haven’t historically been oversubscribed with applications to be honest, and it would be good to see some new ones coming in.

“It can be anything that is for the common good of the town, for instance it has historically funded the Largs Viking Festival on an annual basis.

“It would be good to see other ideas coming forward from different groups who are running projects or looking at starting something new.

“The application is quite straightforward and it includes anything that would benefit the town, although it is trickier to fund something than an individual is pushing.

“Anyone out there hatching a plan or thinking about developing something in the town should know that there is funding to be applied for.

“That could then be match funded depending on the project with money from the Kelburn Windfarm Trust or other council pots.”

For information on the Largs Common Good Fund and how to apply, go to www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/your-community/funding/community-funding.aspx.