FOUR towns in Dorset will each get £70,000 towards “exciting” community projects.

The district council has given grants to Stalbridge, Gillingham, Blandford and Shaftesbury.

Stalbridge Town Council will use their grant to extend its multi-purpose centre, The Hub at Stalbridge, which has a community-run library, community office, meeting rooms, and town council office.

The extension will provide a larger multi-use room, improved catering facilities and rooms for outreach medical consultations and other support work. A heritage centre space will also be created for exhibition and museum archives.

Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, leader of North Dorset District Council, said he was “really pleased” the council was helping fund the £350,000 project.

“This extension will make sure the Stalbridge Hub can really expand the services and support it provides for the people in Stalbridge and the surrounding villages.”

Another £70,000 grant will go towards the Gillingham Town Gateway project, which aims to improve the gateways into the town and help attract future investment.

The £97,000 project will see improvements to a total of seven locations, including the railway station. Blandford Forum Town Council will use their £70,000 grant to develop the weekly markets and bring more people into the town centre as part of a project estimated to cost up to £340,000. The area used by the twice-weekly market is also an important venue for open air events. It also provides a “valuable front space to the historic Corn Exchange and adjoining Georgian facades”, the district council says. The grant will also act as match funding for other grants. Another grant of £70,000 will go to Shaftesbury Town Council, which has placed a bid to buy a former Budgens store in the town. The aim is to develop this space with a mix of retail and leisure units, offices, including start-up offices, and affordable flats.

The development would be carried out in partnership with a local community enterprise organisation.

“This is an ambitious project backed up by sound business planning. Financial support will contribute towards the redevelopment costs,” the district council spokesperson said.

If Shaftesbury Town Council is not the favoured bidder for the vacant Bell Street supermarket then a grant of £50,000 will be allocated to a tourism signage improvement project in the town.

Cllr Sherry Jespersen, the district council’s portfolio holder for community and regeneration, said: “There are some really exciting community projects under way across North Dorset.It gives me great pleasure to support these initiatives which will all bring long and short term community and economic benefits to our area.”