Kent Miners Festival, the Samaritans and the Citizens Advice Bureau are among 30 groups who will receive a grant from Deal Town Council this year.

Councillors on the finance and general purposes committee voted for the organisations they thought were most likely to benefit the people of Deal, at a meeting on Tuesday, May 26.

Representatives from the groups were given a chance to speak in support of their grant applications during the public participation of the meeting.

Before any decisions were made, councillors unanimously agreed to hold back £3,000 from the £15,000 grant budget for emergency grants to be considered later in the year.

Chairman Cllr Trevor Bond said: “The council is a facilitator not a financier. As a newly formed council, what we would like to do is help get projects off the ground. We’d like to give them some initial funding to help them achieve their aims.”

Money was issued to Deal, Walmer & Kingsdown Amateur Rowing Club, Dover District Volunteer Centre and HeartStart South East Coast Constitution, to name a few. (See below for full list and amounts.)

St George’s Church football programme was awarded the largest grant of £750.

Cllr Bond said: “I think this was the influence of the youth on the council. Some of the members were very keen to support sport and things for the youth.”

Those who lost out include the Astor Theatre - although a grant of £400 has been reserved until the council receives more details about their application - Deal and Dover Sea Cadets, St George’s Church, Kingsdown Table Tennis Club, North Deal Community Company and Friends of Kingsdown Play Park.

A Friends of Kingsdown Play Park representative queried why their application had been processed by the officers if council would not consider applications outside of Deal.

Cllr Bond said: “Their application ticked the boxes but the council thought Kingsdown was just a bit too far away and there was no evidence that it would be of any benefit to the people of Deal.”

Cllr Bond said he supports their project and will be contacting the group to help them apply for support via other avenues.

Deal, Walmer and Kingsdown Regatta Association received £500, half the amount they applied for. Cllr Bob Frost and Cllr Louise Butler were among those who voted against the grant.

DEAL TOWN COUNCIL GRANTS 2015/16:

• £500 to White Cliffs Ramblers
• £300 to Trudy’s Wheels
• £300 to the Men of Kent and Kentish Men
• £200 to Martha’s Trust
• £200 to the Samaritans
• £500 to the Deal and Betteshanger Ruby Club
• £150 to the White Cliffs Duke of Edinburgh Awards
• £500 to the Deal Festival of Music and Arts outreach programme
• £250 to the Deal and Vlissingen Fencing Club
• £350 to the Royal Marines association
• £350 to the Deal and District Lioness Club
• £500 to Deal, Walmer and Kingsdown Regatta Association
• £500 to the Deal and Walmer Chamber of Trade
• £400 to the Kent Miners Festival
• £400 to the Deal/St Omer Twining Association
• £500 TO St Leonards Social Club
• £750 to St George’s Church football programme
• £350 to the HeartStart South East Coast Constitution
• £500 to the Citizens Advice Bureau
• £250 to St Andrews Church (Real Deal)
• £121 to the Deal and Walmer Allotment Association
• £250 to the Walmer Cricket Club
• £500 to the Dover District Volunteer Centre
• £500 to the Veterans Association of Deal
• £350 to the Addelam History Research Group
• £300 to Loose Cannon
• £495 to the Deal, Walmer & Kingsdown Amateur Rowing Club
• £500 to the Marine Society and Sea Cadets
• £400 to the Deal Gymnastics Club
• To grant Carol Kewley Soprano one free hire of the Town Hall for event