A grant programme set-up to help community groups and charities through the coronavirus has proven a success.

The Covid-19 resilience fund was made to help those helping the vulnerable throughout the borough during this difficult period.

The fund was created by Bolton's Fund, a voluntary sector grants programme delivered in partnership by Bolton council, NHS Bolton CCG, Bolton at Home, and Bolton CVS.

The council has revealed that to date 28 groups have been awarded grants and 388 volunteers have been supported ­— facilitating an extra 19,000 volunteer hours.

Examples of this include the Over Hulton Community Group setting up a website and holding the "Scare of Corona" scarecrow festival to raise funds for the NHS.

Mental health charity Headspace were also given a grant to develop software programmes to showcase comedy, plays and music.

Bolton’s Council Executive Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, Cllr Nadim Muslim, said: "Although the pandemic has seen everyone face the most challenging of times, it is fantastic that this programme, delivered by partners in Bolton working together, has helped the most vulnerable in our community.

"This is the perfect example of Bolton’s voluntary sector being supported to help those who desperately need it."

Chief Executive of Bolton CVS, Darren Knight, said: “The Covid-19 response in Bolton supported by so many community groups has been immense.

"The speed with which we made decisions and processed grants applications through the Bolton’s Fund Covid-19 Resilience Grants meant we could get financial support to those that needed to quickly adapt to provide support to the most vulnerable and isolated people across Bolton.

"I have to say thanks to everyone who has supported the process and most importantly, the community groups and organisations who have worked so hard to make a positive difference with the funding that they’ve received."

The Bolton's Fund also received a £20,000 donation from The Sir James and Lady Scott Trust, formerly based in Bolton, who award a number of grants to Bolton based charities each year.

Applications for the fund have now closed.