The Office for Civil Society has given £500,000 to community foundations operating in some of the areas worst affected by flooding to help the aid effort.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced the funding at a Downing Street reception on Tuesday.

Ten community foundations, working in some of the areas worst affected by flooding, will receive £50,000 each to support their continuing response to the flooding and storms.

Community foundations in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Norfolk, Somerset, Surrey, Dorset, Gloucester and Lincolnshire will all benefit from the Office for Civil Society grants.

Community foundations’ own appeal to support those affected by the floods has to date raised more than £2.5m.

These funds were used to provide immediate relief at the height of the crisis and are now being focused on supporting communities over the long term, rebuilding of homes, businesses and the local economy.

Stephen Hammersley, CEO UK Community Foundations, said: “The Office of Civil Society’s £500,000 funding is gratefully received.

“Applying unparallelled local knowledge and experience to identify and assess the issues on the ground means we can deliver a highly strategic and targeted response which will make a lasting difference to the affected communities.”