GRANTS of £250 are on offer for village halls and other community buildings in North Yorkshire to help reduce loneliness and isolation in rural areas.

The campaign Community Friendly Buildings offers guidance and support to committees and volunteers who run village halls and buildings to set up new activities to try to reach people who do not normally get involved in events, particularly elderly and vulnerable people.

The project is already under way in Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby, and now it’s being extended to Harrogate, Ryedale and Scarborough. It’s being paid for through North Yorkshire County Council’s Innovation Fund and delivered by Rural Action Yorkshire (RAY), an independent, charitable and voluntary group which aims to provide a voice for rural communities.

James Russell, project co-ordinator at RAY, said: “Village halls or churches are often the best way of reaching social groups that may be feeling cut off from the world around them, leaving people feeling lonely in their homes. This is exacerbated by living in a rural area.

“Having run community hubs in the past, we know the hard work and commitment that volunteers put into running venues and maintaining services. We have witnessed their full potential as places of great social interaction, and with these grants we want to be able to give something back at the same time as identifying the needs of the most vulnerable in our villages.”

A special information session on community friendly buildings is being held on Saturday, February 21, at Kirkby Fleetham village hall, near Bedale, from 10am to 2pm with sessions on how to attract more volunteers.