CHANGES were made to a grant applied for by Gillingham Netball Club, as more than £9,000 was awarded to groups and projects across the town.

Heard during the Gillingham Town Council meeting Monday night, the authority approved grants of £1,500 to Dorset Mind, £1,255 to the Gillingham Carnival Committee, £1,000 to the Gillingham Duke of Edinburgh Open Award Centre, £2,033 to Hipp!!Bones, Gillingham’s youth club, £1,000 to North Dorset Disability Information Service and £314 to Read Easy Gillingham and Shaftesbury.

Despite applying for £3,000 it was recommended by the council’s finance committee to award North Dorset Rugby Football Club £1,000, which was also approved at full council.

Gillingham Imperial Silver Band had applied for £1,000 but this was rejected, as the reasons it had needed the money, including supporting visits to primary schools, were not activities that were possible during the Covid-19 pandemic.

£500 will be granted to Mindful, permitting Covid-19 regulations do not stop its Christmas meal plans.

During the finance committee meeting on September 21 it was heard that the netball club had asked for £1,900 to help cover the costs of Covid-secure equipment and kit, however councillors had asked for clarification on how uniforms would benefit the health and safety of the club.

As a result it was approved at full council to award the group £1,158, which excluded the part of the grant application that would be spent on new netball dresses and shorts.