NEARLY £300,000 of National Lottery funding has been awarded to 20 community projects in Dorset, ranging from surf sessions for young people to a leisure centre refurbishment.

The money, raised by players for good causes, is being distributed by the Big Lottery Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Dorchester Town Community Football Club received £10,000 to refurbish a room at the stadium for young people to use. The project will involve young people in the design and management of the room, giving them a space to meet and socialise.

Nigel Hayes from the club said: "Last season the club were approached but our younger members asking if we had any rooms at the stadium where they could meet in a safe and secure environment, a place to call their own.

"Working with the youngsters we identified an old boiler room but the cost to convert it was estimated at £15,000.

"We applied for a grant for £10,000 to convert an old boiler room.

"The works for this room are ongoing but we hope to have it open in early August. A committee will be formed made up of youngsters to run the room, they will have the chance to rent the room out to other community groups for a small charge, they will then have the power to spend any income on projects as they see fit, primarily this will be on any repairs required in the room, but it there is money left it can be used for community projects. The club would like to thank players of the National Lottery, we would also like to thank Concorde Flooring and Ceilings who are carrying out the conversion."

Osprey Leisure Centre received £9,700 to refurbish three of it's rooms and enable a wider range of services and activities for the community.

b-side, an artist-led arts organisation based in Dorset, which works with artists to make new site-responsive work revealing the marginal, often forgotten and less commercial aspects of our coastal towns and communities.

It received £8,330 from the Big Lottery Fund which will be used to run a four-day festival for young people called WHY? The aim of the festival is to inspire young people to engage in discussions around their rights, arts and culture, and education.

Other funding was also distributed to a water safety and rescue project in Weymouth, St George's Pre School in Purbeck, William Barnes Primary School in north Dorset, Shaftesbury District Guides and Melplash Village Hall.

James Harcourt, England grant-making director at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “It’s wonderful to see the positive impact projects are making in Dorset. They are an inspiration to others, showing what great things can be achieved when people work together to tackle the things that really matter to their community.”