GREEN community projects across Scotland have received a funding boost of £60,000 from an environmental partnership group.

The Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) has helped 26 grass-roots schemes that improve their local area by giving them one-off grants from the Community Projects Fund.

A total of £60,244 from this year's fund was divided among ventures which would be of benefit to, or involve, children and young people under 16.

Keith Geddes, chairman of the Central Scotland Green Network Partnership Board, said: "Now in its third year, our Community Projects Fund continues to go from strength to strength and we're pleased to be able to continue our support for grass-roots projects across the region. There's a fantastic range of successful projects this year, from nurseries looking to promote outdoor learning and natural play, to allotment groups trying to encourage children to take part in community growing activities to inspire healthy eating."

These small-scale initiatives, Mr Geddes said, were "instrumental in achieving our goal of creating a high-quality green network across central Scotland to improve the quality of life for local communities."

Aiming to promote and increase the use of green spaces in places such as Cumbernauld, Stirling and Alloa, the Central Scotland Green Network's area covers 19 local authorities and more than 10,000 square kilometres of land across the country.