Community groups in Dorset are set to share a funding boost after the Co-op welcomed the latest beneficiaries to its Local Community Fund.

24 causes are set to benefit in Dorset, including Lyme Regis Development Trust, Royal Manor Theatre Company and The Living Tree, with each in line to receive several thousand pounds at the end of the year. Last year, 24 groups in Dorset shared £90,000.

Co-op members, receive a five per cent reward for themselves with a further one per cent going to local causes when they buy own-brand products. Members can decide how the money is allocated, and are encouraged to select the causes they wish to support online.

Recent figures from the Charity Commission show that 40 per cent of all charities survive on an income of less than £10,000*, meaning that the funding raised by Co-op members will have a significant impact on the difference causes can make in their community.

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community Engagement at the Co-op, said: “The more people shop, the more we share, and the more impact we can have in communities. People can get involved by becoming a member, swiping their card, and choosing the cause they want to support. By choosing their local cause, our members are telling us what really matters in their communities.

“Last year we invested £19 million in over 4,000 groups UK-wide, supporting a wide range of initiatives from village halls and community spaces to skills initiatives and neighbourhood watch schemes, all of which are helping to make communities across the UK safer, happier, and healthier places to live.”