National volunteering charity CSV is encouraging community and youth groups to become involved with Whitbread Action Earth, the national environmental campaign, in the New Year.
The campaign, which will run from Christmas Day to 30 April, makes available hundreds of £50 grants for local environmental projects. To receive funding, projects must improve the local environment, involve volunteers or meet a local community need.
For projects initiated and led by young people aged 16 to 25, there are ten grants of £100 available for those who register projects early.
The annual campaign first ran in 1990. It now involves about 10,000 volunteers across the country.
The scheme is backed by leisure business Whitbread Group and the Community Fund.
Examples of projects undertaken last year included creating a wildlife area in a local school and cleaning up a local beach, with the grant being used to buy heavyweight gloves and rubbish sacks.
