A POPULAR grant to empower residents on a mission to improve their West End community has returned.

Partick and Thornwood Ideas Fund is to reopen for Autumn 2021 allowing community members to apply for a cash boost to benefit the local area.

Residents can cast three votes for their favourite ideas with the most popular being awarded the funds of £500 for a sole applicant or £1,000 for group entries.

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There's no limit to the ideas which can be created, however, the only rule applicants must follow is each bid has to be of benefit to the area.

The fund will open for applications from September 1 to 14 with guidance sessions for those looking for further support on the process to be held on September 4 and 6.

Community voting will take place from September 21 to 28 with the aim of funds being dispersed to the winners by October 5.

The Ideas Fund is a participatory budgeting (PB) project funded by the Scottish Government’s Investing in Communities Fund.

The Scottish Government has committed that at least 1% of local government budgets in Scotland will be subject to participatory budgeting by the end of 2021.

A spokesperson for the Annexe Communities in Partick, which is operating the fund, said: "PB allows citizens to play a direct role in deciding how and where resources should be spent.

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"These programs create opportunities for engaging, educating, and empowering citizens, which can foster a more cohesive and just community ... Ideas Fund is a great way to see the future of government funding in action.

"Previous successful ideas have ranged from activities for a sheltered housing complex, running costs for men’s groups, equipment for outdoor growing projects, to vital equipment for art and knitting groups, so the world is your oyster."