A Dorset community group has been given £20,000 by the Big Lottery Fund.

Dorset Community Action has been given the money to help them engage with 300 local groups about opportunities available through the European Social Fund.

The DCA will work in partnership with Bournemouth Council for Voluntary Service and Poole Council for Voluntary Service, and the money will be used to develop websites, provide designated individuals to contact for advice and information, run awareness raising and partnership development workshops.

In total the Big Lottery Fund awarded £89,615 of Lottery funding to six organisations across South West England.

The money is to be to raise awareness within the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector of the opportunities available through the European Social Fund.

The projects receiving funding will provide advice and guidance on the European funding that will be matched by the Big Lottery Fund in their Local Enterprise Partnership areas and will be available from 2015.

The Big Lottery Fund plans to put up £260 million of National Lottery funding to match a similar figure from Europe, subject to sign off from the European Commission at the end of this year. Together, the matched funds will be used to tackle poverty and promote social inclusion.

The money from Europe comes from a new seven year cycle of European funding – the European Structural and Investment Fund Growth programme, of which European Social Fund is one part. It will support a wide range of projects including improving employability for the most disadvantaged, helping those with multiple and complex needs, improving financial literacy, and helping communities to overcome challenges in their lives.

Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund said: “Historically voluntary organisations have often found it difficult to access European funding. Through this development funding, we will help ensure there is widespread awareness of the opportunities available through the ESF, and will bring the voluntary community and social enterprise sector together to discuss local needs already identified by LEPs and how best to tackle these priorities.”