Following these latest awards, councillors agreed to close the Inverness Common Good Fund Grants budget to further applications for the remainder of financial year 2024/25 due to insufficient funds available for any new applications.

Leader of Inverness and area, Councillor Ian Brown said: “I am pleased that these local projects will focus on benefiting the most vulnerable among our communities. Over the coming months these projects will hopefully help improve the lives of those who take part in or are impacted by the projects that have received Inverness Common Good Funding today.”

The following grants have been awarded:

• UHI Inverness: £5,743 towards the Caring Conversations project which is a collaboration between UHI Inverness and Highland Hospice.
• Hilton Family Support: £14,100 for a project providing support groups for parents with young children.
• New Start Highland: £30,550 towards a training and reuse ‘village’ offering access to free and low-cost essential goods and training programmes leading to local employment.
• Velocity Café & Bicycle Workshop: £7,261 towards the Cycle to Health project which is aimed at people in Inverness area who would like to cycle more for short everyday journeys but who would benefit from support to develop skills and confidence due to experience of poor mental health, social isolation, low confidence, or other barriers connected with poverty or deprivation.
• Apex Highland: £14,581 towards an Apex Highland project which aims to empower its participants to take part in the restoration and maintenance of the pathways surrounding the Kings Golf club at Torvean and the pavilion at Fraser Park both in Inverness.