Grants are available from the Saffron Community Fund to help charities and groups in Saffron Walden during the cost-of-living crisis.

The Saffron Community Fund is operated in partnership with Essex Community Foundation, who receive and manage grants on behalf of Saffron Building Society.

Grants are open to charities, not-for-profits, community and voluntary groups. Each application for a grant is assessed individually to ensure all funding is fairly distributed to charities.

Claire Hunnable, Saffron Building Society's community business partner, said: "Our fund is an essential source of funding for some of the smaller charities and community groups around our branches.

"We have developed a unique and important working relationship with Essex Community Foundation that ensure all grant decisions made by our panel are undertaken with expert guidance from them.

"Every year we are amazed by the diversity of the applications and are always delighted to be introduced to groups we may never normally have been aware of.

"I also have the pleasure of meeting the people behind the projects and to see the amazing work that is happening all around our communities."

In 2021, Saffron Community Fund announced it had reached the milestone of £100,000 in grant funds in the 10 years since the launch, which has been spread out over yearly grant funds totalling up to £20,000 per year.

These funds are now going to be significantly increased by Saffron joining the Reclaim Fund Scheme - backed by the government - which allows unclaimed money currently held in dormant accounts to be used for social and environmental schemes.

This year, Saffron was able to claim £436,000 from the Reclaim Fund Initiative - which will now be used to bolster the value of grants from 2023 onwards.

Claire added: "If you run a charity or group and are unsure if you qualify for a grant, all the information and links you need are all available on our community fund webpage, with a step-by-step guide on how to apply.

"But you must be quick as the deadline for the first entries for 2023 close on December 9."

To apply go to https://www.saffronbs.co.uk/about/community/our-community-fund.