SIGNIFICANT SHORTS : Struggling charities Lottery grant chances enhanced

Struggling charities and volunteer groups on shoe-string budgets have been given a better chance of landing grants from the National Lottery. A pilot scheme will award them small grants, of between pounds 500 and pounds 5,000, for the first time.

The National Lottery Charities Board will carry out the three-month trial in Wales. If successful, the scheme will be extended. Only groups with annual incomes of less than pounds 10,000 will be eligible, and, unlike larger- scale bids for lottery funds, the small grants will have no deadlines and short application forms. The board said pounds 500,000 would be available during the pilot scheme.