THREE Stirling charities have been awarded a cash boost from the Bank of Scotland Foundation's Small and Medium Grants.

Plus (Forth Valley) Ltd, Thornhill Playgroup and Toddlers and the Forth Valley University of the Third Age all received grants from the fund.

Plus (Forth Valley) aims to provide a better quality of life for children and young people with disabilities, and their families, across the region through social inclusion and regular short breaks.

It received a £8,940 grant, which will go towards covering the salaries of sessional staff and an after school co-ordinator.

Thornhill is a local playgroup for children aged from two-and-a-half up to five. It provides free sessions to local children with special needs ad has received a grant of £1,500, which will help cover the costs of learning sessions and SQA course costs for the playgroup leader.

The Forth Valley branch of the University of the Third Age (U3A) encourages older people to keep their minds active by discovering the pleasure of learning in friendly surroundings.

It received a grant of £1,500 to provide a programme of cultural activities in care homes.

Philip Grant, chair of the Scottish Executive Committee at Lloyds Banking Group and chair of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, said: “Finding the funding to continue operating is a pressure charities regularly face, so we’re delighted to have been able to provide grants to these charities in Stirling.

“They are just some of 118 Scottish charities that shared over £1,426,000 from our Small, Medium and Large Grants Programmes during 2016.

“The work these charities do is invaluable and the Bank of Scotland Foundation is proud to support them in making a tangible difference to the local communities in which they operate.

“We look forward to helping many more Scottish charities support their communities in 2017.”

Applications are now open for the second round of funding this year, charities and good causes have until April 7 to enter.

For more information, visit bankofscotlandfoundation.org