A total of 33 charitable causes across East Dorset have been awarded grants totalling £489,232 from Talbot Village Trust, in the first of its two grant-giving cycles this year.

The grants range from £1,000 to £60,000.

Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, chairman of Talbot Village Trust, said: “Our purpose is to support and strengthen organisations in the community that are making changes for the better and help children, young people, adults, and the elderly in the area. We are delighted to offer our continued support to worthy causes that cover education and youth, charitable projects and faith, and we’ll be looking to allocate funding to further causes which applied during our second grant-giving cycle. Beneficiaries from our second cycle will be announced towards the end of this year.”

The awards and beneficiaries for the grants include:

• £8,000 to Activate Performing Arts to support the Inside Out Dorset arts festival which takes place between 15 and 24 September
• £5,000 to Amelia’s Rainbow, a charity helping children with serious illness and disabilities create lasting memories, towards the running costs of the charity’s retreat holiday home in Highcliffe
• £35,000 to Bournemouth Churches Housing Association to implement and run a 12-month project titled 1624 to support the growing number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in work or education in the BCP area
• £60,000 to CRUMBS to provide training to adults with a range of disabilities in hospitality and catering, housekeeping, and administration over two years
• £10,000 to Hope Community Church in Winton to support refurbishments to improve and expand community support the church provides
• £40,000 to Planet Purbeck to support activities including its 2023 Festival which takes place between 15 to 24 September
• £1,000 to Wareham Choral Society to support two concerts in November 2023 and March 2024
• £7,000 to Young Enterprise to assist with the delivery of its Inspiring Futures programme in schools across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch

Farah Batchelor, from Amelia’s Rainbow, said: “We were over the moon to have been awarded a £5,000 grant from Talbot Village Trust. We applied because we had increasing costs at our holiday home in Highcliffe and were looking for help. We currently grant more than 40 free holidays a year for children with serious illness and disabilities, so this significant grant is to be used to improve the wellbeing for these families and help make lasting memories.”

Applicants wishing to receive funding can visit the trust’s website www.talbotvillagetrust.co.uk to find out more about the application process.