The Whitehaven and Coastal Community Panel has awarded nearly £50,000 to several grass-roots projects.

The funding, generated by Cumberland Council, is set to benefit a number of organisations across various sectors.

Among the projects, Proud and Diverse Cumbria, an LGBTQ+ initiative, received the most with £12,000, destined for the creation of an inclusive hub and café in Whitehaven.

The support will provide new furniture and kitchen equipment, plus assist residents in crafting artwork to adorn the premises.

Glenn Anderson, director of Proud and Diverse Cumbria, said: "Thank you so much to the panel for this investment.

"Mental health is an ever-growing problem in coastal and rural communities (and) our new centre and its services will help to change lives for the better."

Whitehaven Community Trust and Whitehaven Harbour Youth Project were each allocated £6,000, to support young adults transitioning from supported accommodation and for renovation works respectively.

The Whitehaven Harbour Youth Project will use its funds for new flooring in its youth centre.

Time to Change West Cumbria won £8,810 for a pilot project focusing on those struggling with mental health and financial management, while St Bees Village Hall was allocated £8,410 for essential maintenance works.

Dr Claire Hale, a member of the village hall committee, said: "This investment will help make the hall a more attractive venue for our users."

Whitehaven's sporting community also benefited with the District Amateur Boxing Club winning £3,000 towards a new competition ring, while the town's Cricket Club took £3,200 for new activity equipment and an outreach programme.

Phil McCormick, of Whitehaven Cricket Club, showed his gratitude, saying: "This money will fund high-level coaching in schools, hopefully inspiring girls to come down to the club, where we have excellent female role models to inspire them.

"We are also trying to grow our special needs membership and the new equipment will go a long way towards achieving this."

For anyone interested in applying for future funding, details and application procedure can be found on the Cumberland Council website.