A swimming club, a football team and a choir are among the community groups in Staffordshire are hoping to benefit from the latest round of grants being dished out by a town council.

Each year Burntwood Town Council’s grant aid committee considers applications for funding from local organisations in need of money to help pay for various projects within the local community. This year the town council has a budget of £8,000 to distribute among local projects, and nearly 30 groups have applied to the council for financial help.

Among the applicants are Burntwood Swimming Club, which is hoping for a cash boost of £300 from the town council to help pay for new lane ropes.

Burntwood Town Football Club has applied for £1,000 to help establish three youth teams within the club, and the Burntwood Singers have asked for £100 to put towards general running costs.

Town councillor Ron Bradbury said the annual grant aid scheme was of great help to local community groups and voluntary organisations.

“Even though the grants are for relatively small amounts the scheme is very important,” he said.

“Some of these groups are really scraping along so it does make a difference.

“The idea is that the money be used to benefit the community in Burntwood.”

The town council will meet on Thursday to discuss the applications and decide on the awards it will make.

More than 30 projects in the town reaped the rewards of last year’s grant aid scheme.

Other grants went to the Burntwood Live at Home scheme, which was awarded £300, Age Concern South Staffordshire, which was given £500, and the Burntwood Family History Group, which received £100.

The 1st Burntwood Girls’ Brigade and 2nd Burntwood Boys Brigade received £450 and £200 went to the Redwood Friendship Club.