Community projects in Herefordshire are invited to enter an awards programme which could see them share a funding boost of £75,000 to make a real difference in their local area.

Now in their fourth year, the Yorkshire Bank Spirit of the Community Awards 2016 is open for applications.

Yorkshire Bank will make donations to recognise and support community projects which are going the extra mile. Registered charities and not for profit organisations are invited to enter their projects into the awards scheme under one of three categories: projects which help people to have a healthy relationship with money, projects which help people to improve their local environment and projects which help people into employment.

The awards are open to a range of initiatives across the third sector which can demonstrate support for the local community. This could include projects helping to upskill people for the workplace, ventures promoting healthy relationships with money, or schemes aiming to protect the environment.

Five projects will be selected in each of the three categories and all 15 winners will be awarded £5,000 each.

For more information about the Spirit of the Community Awards or to enter, people can visit www.ybonline.co.uk/foundation or go into their local Yorkshire Bank branch to receive an application form.

The closing date for applications is Friday, April 8th and the winners will be announced in summer 2016.