APPLICATIONS from organisations vying for a share of our £50,000 Comic Relief cash pot are starting to flood in.

The Oxford Mail is backing a campaign to help out local charities with grants of up to £1,000 from the Red Nose Day Community Cash Fund.

And the Oxfordshire Community Foundation – the charity which will be distributing the money – has had more than 20 applications since we launched the scheme last week.

OCF grants manager Wally Cox said: “This is quite a unique opportunity to give out a huge amount of money in a short space of time.

“We usually give out around £20,000 of Comic Relief cash over the space of a year, so to get £50,000 in five weeks is fantastic.”

He added: “The applications are starting to come in thick and fast, so we are moving in the right direction.

“But we still want more.”

The foundation is a charity run by people who make grants to other voluntary groups across the county.

It was set up in 1995, with the aim of “local people helping local people”.

Mr Cox, from Marston in Oxford, said: “We raise money by a whole host of means, like grants and endowments.

“But I don’t think people know about us as much as they should, so we are now working really hard to get our name out there.

“It’s important that local charities and organisations know they are welcome to visit our website at any time and apply for money.”

Trustees from the Community Foundation will sit on a panel to decide which organisations are successful in their bid for the Comic Relief cash.

Representatives from Comic Relief and the Oxford Mail will also help with the decision-making.

Mr Cox said: “So far, we have seen some applications that will almost certainly be getting help, and maybe some that won’t.

“The importance is that everyone applies, so they all have an equal chance to get their hands on some money.”

So far the applications have come from across the county, from Banbury to Henley, and from Kingston Bagpuize to Bicester.

Mr Cox said: “The aim of this was always to help organisations from across the whole county, so we encourage everyone to apply.

“One-thousand pounds could make a real difference to communities in the county.”

People have just four more weeks – until March 10 – to get their application in.

  • For more information on how to apply for the grants, visit oxfordmail.co.uk/li/red_nose or call 01865 798666. The closing date for applicants is Thursday, March 10.

We also want to know about your Red Nose Day events, both beforehand and afterwards, so upload stories and pictures at oxfordmail.co.uk/news/yournews