MORE than £190,000 has helped almost 70 community projects flourish in Oxfordshire thanks to the county’s Chill Out Fund grant.

The county council gave a total of £190,656.13 in grants to 69 organisations in the 2012/13 financial year, and senior councillors have outlined their commitment to its future.

The grant pot, set aside to help groups which provide activities for young people, is normally £100,000 each year, but a one-off extra pot of £100,000 was made available last year due to the volume of applications.

Cabinet member for education Melinda Tilley, who has made decisions on recent applications, said she was pleased the grant scheme was continuing.

She said: “I’m very pleased with the way it’s gone. It’s been an absolute bonus for us to be able to support these organisations.

“These grants make a huge difference, and it’s a really good way of engaging. They come and ask us for money and we decide how much to give them.

“I must admit I have gone against officers’ recommendations before and given them more money than was advised, but that’s the cabinet member’s prerogative. It’s the small things which make a big difference, and we would really like to see the fund continue if it can.”

Among the organisations to have benefited from cash last year is Film Oxford, and spokesman Gary Shenton praised the fund.

He said: “It’s excellent. It’s done some great work in Oxford. We had a couple of projects which were funded by it, including what we did at Christmas light night where he had live V-jaying and dancers as well as a project over at Wood Eaton.”

The Blackbird Leys Adventure Playground project was given £2,500 last year so it could open over the winter period.

Spokeswoman Sue Price said that without the money, the facility would have stood empty over the last few months.

She said: “It meant we were about to pay our gas bills over the winter of about £100 a week.

“We have the inside area which we were able to heat as a result of the money, but we also found that kids spent some time outside which was great. It’s a really good grant which is a lot easier to use than a lot of other grants.”

Other recipients included the Oxfordshire Music Education Partnership, City of Oxford Rowing Club, Cutteslowe Community Association and Cherwell Theatre Company Ltd, as well as parish councils, scout groups and other organisations.