VULNERABLE people in Winchester and Eastleigh are set to benefit from £72,392 in grants made by Hampshire County Council to voluntary organisations.

They were among grants totalling £565,000 approved by Felicity Hindson, the executive county councillor for social care.

Age Concern Winchester receives £11,000 as a contribution towards salaries for their lunch clubs coordinator and chief officer, as well as for office running costs.

The organisation works with around 250 older people, offering practical help, advice, advocacy and care and allowing them to improve their quality of life and maintain their independence.

The Winchester Live at Home Scheme will use their £12,000 to provide social activities, including befriending and friendship clubs for older people who live at home.

Volunteers visit those older people who are unable to leave home or who do not wish to socialise in larger day-care centres.

The Trinity Service in Winchester offers advice, information, counselling, healthcare services and recreational activities to people disadvantaged by homelessness, unemployment, illness, addiction, poverty or other social deprivation.

They will use their £15,671 grant as a contribution towards the salaries of staff who work with and provide advice to those who drop in at the centre-more than 7,500 visits take place each year.

Relate Hampshire Group's Relateen service works in Aldershot, Basingstoke and Winchester with young people whose parents are separating or who have step-family issues.

It receives £9,076 as a contribution towards its work increasing the self-esteem and confidence of users, as well as improving communication within the family. Around 200 young people make use of the service.

A grant of £5,145 goes to Eastleigh Citizens' Advice Bureau for its GP Outreach Service at Blackthorn Surgery in Netley.

Around 250 older people and carers benefit from the service which provides people with guidance and advice-including how to make the most of available benefits.

A grant of £12,000 goes to Eastleigh Advocacy Project for their work in running a self-advocacy group for around 30 people in the area, supporting them to make informed choices and have a greater say in decisions which affect their lives.

Other grants include £106,000 for Club Hampshire, which provides clubs for older or disabled people; £92,880 for Age Concern Hampshire's information and advice service; £7,500 for the Hampshire Centre for Independent Living, who promote and support independent living for disabled people; £8,188 for the Huntingdon's Disease Association for their regional care adviser; £7,273 for Hampshire Family Mediation; £48,500 for Hampshire Voluntary Care Group's Advisory Service; and £25,750 for ROCC, a Southampton-based specialist service for charities, to facilitate and administer a supported housing forum to improve communication between housing providers and the department.

The county council has a website for information about grants to voluntary and community organisations -www.hants. gov.uk/grants.