DORCHESTER Town’s ‘Magpies in the Community’ scheme has secured significant funding to expand the initiative across the county.

The Football Conference Trust charity has awarded the club funding for a two-year project, which will see community officer and first-team player Calvin Brooks, work with local schools to use football to inspire and encourage young children to improve their literacy skills, whilst promoting an active and healthy lifestyle.

Brooks became the club’s full-time community officer this summer, working closely with local mental health and learning difficulty groups in the county, as well as coaching the club’s successful ability counts team.

The funding secured from the Football Conference Trust will also now see Brooks work closely with St Osmund’s and Dorchester Middle Schools each week, as well as other schools across Dorset as the scheme progresses.

Dorchester Town FC community director Allen Knott said: “Calvin is doing some exceptional work in the community and this grant allows us to expand the scheme further to encourage hundreds of children to not only live healthier lives, but toinspire them to work harder at school too.

“Football really does enthral and inspire young children like nothing else and we are delighted that we can work with a host of local schools across Dorset to do just that.

“We are working hard to see the club become a central part of the local community – something that will benefit all.”

The Football Conference Trust charity grant funding programme has been made possible due to the support of the Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association.

The two parties contribute £400,000 each, per year, over a three-year period.

So far, over 50 Conference clubs have benefitted from a grant support programme that will eventually see £2.4 million distributed to non-League clubs.