A total of 16 groups in Dorset are to benefit from a share of £49,500 thanks to a fund set up with Dorset Community Foundation in memory of Bournemouth resident Vivien Barnard.

Community foundation director Grant Robson said: “Vivien died last year and her sister Susan told us she was passionate about the community in Dorset so she felt setting up this fund in her name was a way of honouring that.

“The family wanted grants to go to small grass roots groups where they would make the most impact, which is what we as a foundation can deliver because we know where the need is and which groups are best placed to address it.”

The fund was set up in November and among the recipients is Wimborne Community Food Supply, which is run by Wimborne Folk Festival. It has been given £4,800 to cover the cost of renting space at the town’s Allendale Centre. The community café and pantry run from there offers free hot food and groceries for rough sleepers and people in poverty.

The Bournemouth Spear Trust received £5,000 to work with young adults on the margins of employment. The trust runs a six-week programme with up to 15 young people at a time, teaching them CV and interview techniques as well as working on inter-personal skills and developing their confidence.

Access Dorset has been given £5,000 to support the re-launch of Bournemouth Older Peoples Forum’s Friday Club at The Horizons Café, which is staffed by young people with disabilities. The grant will cover the costs of lunch and activities including yoga and arts and crafts.

Friends of Stour Connect will use its £4,000 grant to cover the mileage costs of volunteers working with Shaftsbury’s Meals on Wheels service, which delivers more than 100 hot meals a week across north Dorset.

Read Easy Bridport received £1,500 to complete a film about its work aimed at attracting more people in the area to learn to read.

Mr Robson said: “We are very proud that Vivien’s family chose us to honour what she would have wanted done with her estate and it’s a perfect example of local giving in action. These grants are relatively small on their own but together they will make a world of difference to hundreds and hundreds of older, younger and isolated people facing a whole range of problems.

“I’d love to talk to anyone about a legacy or starting a fund with us, we can tailor it exactly to their needs and wants and really help them make a lasting impact on their community.”

Find out more about the work of Dorset Community Foundation at dorsetcommunityfoundation.org.