Five community groups in north Norfolk have shared almost £19,000 in the latest round of grants from the Victory Housing Community Fund.

It brings the total given out from the fund in the five years since it was established to just short of £247,682 in 83 grants to charities, voluntary organisations and community groups.

The latest successful bids were:

?Cromer-based charity About with Friends, which received £5,000 to create new lunch clubs in Holt and Neatishead

?Mundesley Youth and Community, which was granted £5,000 towards the cost of building a multi-use games area in the village

?Sandcastles Pre-School in Bacton, which received £4,000 to help create a new Early Years focussed sensory garden

?Neatishead Community Gym, which was granted £3,900 as a contribution towards the cost of venue hire

?Fakenham-based EP Youth (The Ekklesia Project), which received £1,090 to run a programme on motors, including driving and riding skills, maintenance, the law and customisation of vehicles for up to 25 young people

Victory chief executive John Archibald said: 'When we set up the Victory Community Fund in 2008, we made a commitment that it would continue to support those organisations which help improve our communities at grassroots level across the north of Norfolk.

'This latest round of grants is a good example of the diverse projects we have supported over the years, and brings the total given out over five years to just short of a quarter of a million pounds.

'The next round of grants, which will take us past that £250,000 mark, will take place in the spring, and we are already looking for community organisations to put forward bids to be considered then.'

The decisions about which organisations to support are taken by a special panel made up of Victory Housing Trust residents.

The Victory Housing Community Fund is administered by Norfolk Community Foundation, which handles initial grant applications. Further details at www.norfolkfoundation.com.