Dorset Council’s Community Recovery Grants has awarded over £95K in a bid to support local organisations restart activity and recover after the Pandemic.
The two new grants were launched last year to encourage and support communities and groups, working at a local level, to restart their activities that was suspended the past two years.
One-off grants ranging from £500-£2000 were awarded to 68 different groups. The applicants chosen closely met the relevant criteria, supporting the council’s Strong and Healthy Communities policy.
Cllr Laura Miller, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services, said:
“I’m really pleased we were able to be give these grants to so many community groups across Dorset, to help their vital work bringing people together once again.
“They have gone a long way to kickstart local activities that often provides a lifeline to so many people across Dorset.”
Here is some feedback we have received:
Charlotte Smith, Director at Wimborne Repair Café, said:
“The restart grant has made a HUGE difference. It has secured Wimborne Repair Cafe community sessions at our venue for the foreseeable future. This has enabled us to make future plans to grow and extend the repair services we offer. We’ve also been able to purchase some consumable items to facilitate repairs.”
Stacey Woods, Win on Waste Business Manager, said: “The grant was used to provide venues for our monthly collection sessions, which would have normally taken place in the library.
The funding from Dorset Council meant we were able to help those communities with their hard-to-recycle waste, and pass on what we could to charities that use items such as corks, milk bottle tops, stamps and mobile phones for either their project work or their fundraising.
So far, we have been able to remove over 250 Kgs of waste from landfill and kerbside recycling collections and have helped nearly 300 households dispose of common household waste in a responsible way.”
Philip Sturrock MBE, Church Treasurer, St Swithun’s Church in Bridport applied for a grant to help install a dishwasher in the kitchen of the church hall. The hall is hired out to community groups in Bridport and is constantly in use.
He said: “The dishwasher enhances the facility for community use and has been greatly welcomed by hall users. It was a quick and efficient process and we are very pleased to have been awarded the grant.”
