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£58,000 is sitting in the Grassroots Fund for voluntary organisations in Kingston, and the money must be distributed before September. Anything not used reverts to the Government - and we wouldn't want that, would we?

One of the Chessington-based charities that I am involved with has successfully bid for a grant, and it is pretty simple to apply, with up to £5,000 on offer. The Grassroots Fund is administered in Kingston by Thames Community Foundation.

You can read everything you need to know here, but I thought I would entice you to apply with a quick summary.

To be eligible, your group does not have to be a registered charity, but it must:

• Be a small not-for-profit, third sector voluntary or community group, active in their local community for not less than twelve months before the date of your application.
• Have income of less than £30,000 per year taken as an average over the last three years.
• Be volunteer-led
• Be connected with and/or meeting the needs of the local community
• Have a governing document (constitution or a set of rules).

They can't fund schools, police, national organisations, party political or religious activity, or organisations that solely benefit animals or plants. But that still leaves a lot of small local organisations and clubs who could benefit. So please pass this information on to anyone who you think might be interested in applying.