GROUPS and organisations in areas of Somerset where Wessex Water is carrying out schemes as part of its major water supply grid project could be in line for a £2,000 handout.

The Grid Community Awards aims to support environmental projects including pond restoration, tree planting, conservation areas or nature reserves.

The company said that the support it is offering could get projects off the ground or support those that are up and running, but need further funding.

Drummond Modley, grid programme manager at Wessex Water, said: “Not only is the Grid Community Awards a way that we can give back to customers and the environment, it’s also an opportunity for customers to learn more about the water supply grid and the benefits it will bring to their community.”

A notable grid project since the programme began in 2012 is the construction of a new storage tank reservoir in Kingston St Mary, near Taunton. This has significantly improved the security of water supply to people in Somerset.

The awards scheme is similar to the company’s long running Wessex Watermark Award, providing funding for environmental or water-based projects in the region since 1993.

In November 2014, the Sedgemoor Conservation Volunteers won a £400 Wessex Watermark Award which went towards training a young volunteer to be a chain saw operator and help preserve trees in local woodland areas.