Calne town councillors have granted nearly £6,000 worth of funding for five different organisations that aim to support businesses and residents in the community.

Councillors awarded £5,000 to the Calne Heritage Centre at a meeting on Monday, which will help to keep the centre open by paying for water and electricity bills, insurances and marketing.

They gave £255 towards Vitalise, a charity providing breaks for people with disabilities, and £500 to the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust for home security equipment.

The Calne Chamber of Commerce was given free use of the town hall, worth £120, for a fair in May aiming to make members of the public aware of the range of businesses available in the town.

The Castlefields Canal and River Park Association was also granted free use of the town hall, at a cost of £90, for its bi-monthly committee meetings.

But the town council rejected applications from three organisations that did not provide either a set of accounts or a constitution.

The organisations were the Calne Springs Community Interest Company (CSCIC), Calne SMaRTT Running Club and the Calne Environmental Network. They will all be invited to reapply.

CSCIC applied for a grant of £1,137 to buy six gazebos to help expand the monthly Saturday market in Phelps Parade.

Councillor Derek Warnett said: “This grant application comes without any details of how this charity works.”