A huge puppet is heralding the start of a grants scheme which will see scores of community groups and charities awarded up to £25,000.

Eastern Daily Press: Emma Osborne, left, and Deborah O'Malley from Aviva with a supersized version of the puppet 'Boy' from Norwich Puppet Theatre. They were at the Norwich Forum to mark the launch of this year's Aviva Community Fund, which is open to community groups across the country. Picture: Stuart AndersonEmma Osborne, left, and Deborah O'Malley from Aviva with a supersized version of the puppet 'Boy' from Norwich Puppet Theatre. They were at the Norwich Forum to mark the launch of this year's Aviva Community Fund, which is open to community groups across the country. Picture: Stuart Anderson (Image: Archant)

The puppet 'Boy' - a super-sized version of a handheld puppet used by the Norwich Puppet Theatre, has been parked in front of Norwich's Forum today for the launch of the Aviva Community Fund (ACF) 2017.

The puppet theatre was among last year's recipients of ACF money, receiving almost £5,000 towards its Voice of a Child programme of children's workshops throughout the year.

Deborah O'Malley, Aviva's corporate responsibilty manager, said: 'We want to support smaller community groups that often struggle to get funding, because the impact that a grant can have on what they do can be massive.

'The puppet is here to make the point that small things can make a big difference.'

Groups and charities can apply for grants until October 10 online at www.aviva.co.uk/community-fund. There are four categories: skills for life, inclusively, health and wellbeing and community support. A public vote will decide the winners, which will be announced on January 16.