THE Okement Rivers Improvement Group and Meldon Viaduct Company Ltd are the latest organisations to benefit from Okehampton Town Council's grant aid scheme.

At their latest policy and resources meeting on Monday, the council allocated each organisation the maximum £500 on offer.

Both grants will go towards the day-to-day running of the organisations.

Volunteers with the Okement Rivers Improvement Group give up their spare time to maintain the river, clearing river banks, removing dead trees and planting new ones, and maintaining paths and walkways so that people can enjoy the beauty of the two rivers running through Okehampton.

The funding will help them to carry on this work.

Among the major projects undertaken by the group include the installation of the viewing platform, wooden fencing and benches beside the river behind Lidl, and clearing Clapps Wood of overgrown laurel and dangerous trees to create a footpath between Westbridge Close to Lodge Hill, which should be open in the near future.

The not-for-profit Meldon Viaduct Company Ltd was set up in 1999 with the sole purpose of safeguarding and maintaining the viaduct to ensure its future as a monument to Victorian engineering and as a valuable recreational resource.

The company relies on voluntary contributions to fund both ongoing maintenance costs and to build up reseves for the structure's next major overhaul, currently anticipated for 2020.

At the beginning of this financial year, the council allocated £12,000 to be distributed to organisations and charities benefitting the community.

Councillors regularly review grant applications, and make a conscientious effort to spread the money as fairly and wisely as possible.

If you feel your organisation could benefit from the council's grant aid scheme, contact the town hall on 01837 53179.