Groups fighting to tackle hate crime and promote "positive community safety" are being invited to apply for funding.

Through Bury’s Community Safety Partnership, Standing Together funding has been secured for Bury-based voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector groups.

The money will be used to "deliver grassroots activities and projects that tackle community safety issues across the borough and raise awareness of hate crime and how to report it".

The council is working with Bury Voluntary and Community Faith Alliance (Bury VCFA) to deliver this programme with more than £100,000 of funding available to groups to support community safety schemes that address the Standing Together priorities of "keeping people safe and supporting victims, reducing harm and offending and strengthening communities".

Projects should also demonstrate how they will address Bury’s Community Safety Partnership priorities, which includes reducing drug and alcohol related harm and criminality, tackling domestic abuse and combating crime and anti-social behaviour.

Micro grants of £500 for Greater Manchester Crime Awareness Week in February next year along with £5,000 sums for individual groups and £10,000 for partnership applications are on offer.

Cllr Richard Gold, cabinet member for communities and finance at the council, said: “Bury Council stands with our partners across public services and our communities to make Bury the safest borough it can be.

"This funding allows local voluntary and community groups to deliver targeted activities in our neighbourhoods to keep people safe, remove harm and strengthen the resilience of our local communities.”

Bury VCFA will be holding two online briefing sessions on Wednesday, August 9 from 10.30am to noon and on Tuesday, September 12 from 6pm to 7.30pm.

The online sessions will provide an opportunity for groups to find out more about the grants programme, learn about previously funded projects and hear hints and tips to help strengthen bids.

Applications for this funding along with further guidance can be found at https://www.buryvcfa.org.uk/grants/.

For any enquiries contact fundinganddevelopment@buryvcfa.org.uk or call 0161 518 5550.