A MONEY advice service which has played a vital role during the coronavirus crisis has been handed a £20,000 grant to support vulnerable people.

Financial Fitness, in West Stewart Street in Greenock, is using the National Lottery Community Funding to extend its 'check-in' service until the end of October.

The team launched the project to keep in touch with existing clients who had gone off the radar during lockdown.

The grant will enable them to continue to provide the service as public health restrictions begin to tighten once again.

Manager Paul Findlay said: "We had a number of vulnerable clients on our casebooks for a number of years.

"We were concerned that they might not have kept in touch because they thought we were closed, even though we were working from home.

"Our advisers made a check in call to see how they were doing and offered welfare benefits or debt advice to people who were adversely affected by the pandemic.

"People were very grateful and were happy to get a call and some help."

The team also branched out by acting as a signposting service for other agencies.

Mr Findlay said: "We were able to offer these clients a referral to a partner service if they required food, prescription delivery or home shopping during the pandemic.

"One lady we spoke to hadn't spoken to anyone else for three or four months."

The service received £19,935 from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The Tele reported earlier this month how Financial Fitness had seen 1,000 new clients during lockdown.

Bosses say they only expect to see the true impact of the coronavirus crisis later in the year, once the furlough scheme finishes.