Vulnerable people in Weymouth and Portland will be able to keep a roof over their heads thank to a £10,000 charitable donation.

The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) recently handed over a cheque for £10,000 to the Lantern Trust.

The Lantern is an independent registered charity that was founded in 1983 to help vulnerable and marginalised people in the Weymouth and Portland area.

Michael Graham from The Lantern Trust said: “We’re really happy to have The DPS’ help in providing support to vulnerable people in the community.”

The trust supports people with a variety of personal issues including mental health problems, offending behaviour, addiction, homelessness and all personal crises.

The Lantern offers people a wide range of services including advocacy, crisis response, front line practical assistance and welfare benefits, housing and accommodation support and help through the Lantern's assisted rent deposit scheme.

The DPS’ generous boost will go towards the payment of tenancy deposits for the Lantern Trust's clients so they are able to secure accommodation and have a safe home to go to.

A reported in the Echo, of the 12 areas of Dorset which are in the 20 per cent most deprived nationally, nine were in Weymouth and Portland and in West Dorset while the other two lie within the East Dorset borough of Christchurch.

The DPS, the UK’s largest provider of deposit protection services, established a charitable fund in 2014 to help organisations supporting the homeless and those who need help, to live independently.

The service previously donated funds to the Lantern Trust in July 2017.

Daren King, Head of Tenancy Deposit Protection at The DPS, said: “We’re delighted to once again be able to support this wonderful charity.

“It’s really important to The DPS to be able to support organisations that play such a positive role in our sector, and we’re proud that our funding will continue to be used to help those in need.”

Charities focused on the housing sector can apply for funds via The DPS website at depositprotection.com/the-dps-charity-donations-fund/.

Applications for the next round of awards must be submitted by 31 December 2018.