HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds will be handed out to Copeland community groups by the county council.

Nearly £190,000 has been earmarked for 38 projects across the district after being given the go-ahead by the council's Local Committee for Copeland on Friday.

Chair of the committee, Councillor Frank Morgan said: "The members have been determined to use their discretionary grant funding to create a legacy of benefits for the community.

"In times when public sector budgets are diminishing this final allocation of grants is most welcome and will support job opportunities and improved activities for the health and wellbeing of the whole area."

The grants include a pledge of £27,797 to the council's community learning team to run a third traineeship course to help unemployed young people into work.

Last year, the committee granted £53,500 to the project so it could take on two intakes of 10 people on a six-month placement.

"The local committee grant has made a huge difference to the Copeland Traineeship programme," said John Barrett, Copeland community skills and learning manager.

"It has allowed us to support the young people individually in a number of ways and really provide a difference to the quality of the learning and range of qualifications we can offer."

A Phunky Foods healthy lifestyle programme will be rolled out across Copeland thanks to a £19,500 grant.

Dr Jennie Cockroft, managing director of Phunky Foods, which aims to improve the dietary and physical activity habits of young children, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded a grant. The funding will enable us to further our work with local schools to improve the health and wellbeing of their staff, pupils and parents."

Other schemes include £5,000 to Home to Work to continue providing upcycling and woodwork Skills 4 You projects and £5,000 to develop a community learning classroom at Frizington Library.

There will also a be a £4,692 donation to Annie Mawson's Sunbeams Music Trust, a charity working towards improving the health and wellbeing of people with special needs through music, towards its 'Songs and Scones' project.

And £10,000 will be handed over to Recycling Lives to cover the cost of a Fare Share, a national food charity helping to provide nutritious meals to disadvantaged people, distribution centre.