The Scottish government and sportscotland have made £300,000 worth of extra funding available for projects that encourage more women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity.

The two organisations are calling for applications led by sports governing bodies of sport or local authorities for the funding, which will build on the success of the Sporting Equality Fund (SEF) launched in 2017.

Each grant handed from the new funding pot will range between £10,000 and £30,000.

“The numbers of women and girls in Scotland participating in sports and physical activity has increased significantly in recent years," said Scottish Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick. "Numbers are up in a range of sports, from netball, hockey and shinty to activities such as recreational walking and biking adventures.

"But we want to do more and address the barriers that stop women and girls taking part, and this fund helps support that aim.”

The latest funding is one of a number of new grants made available by Sportscotland, as part of a strategy to get the nation more active.

These include the Changing Lives Through Sport and Physical Activity (CLTSPA) grant, which will look to deliver positive change across the country by empowering community-based sport and physical activity projects.

The Scottish Health Survey published in 2016 indicated that 63 per cent of adults and 73 per cent of children in Scotland met the guidelines for Moderate or Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) in 2015.

A lack of physical activity contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths in Scotland and costs the NHS around £91m per year.