Hundreds of pounds have been raised to help two notable charities this Christmas.

In a morning full of community spirit, the Beaminster Masonic Lodge raised an impressive total of £450 during a charity coffee morning hosted at the Masonic Hall.

One of the charities that will benefit from the money was the Beaminster Food Bank which received a cheque for £300, which will help them with the provision of some ‘much needed’ Christmas hampers.

The other group receiving the remaining £150 was the Beaminster Baby and Toddler Group which will use the money to buy new ‘story books, games and a new soft play mat.’

A spokesperson for the Beaminster Masonic Lodge said: “It was an opportunity for everyone to enjoy a cup of coffee, tea or other soft drinks accompanied by some light refreshments in the surroundings of the newly refurbished dining room as part of our reaching out and engaging with the local community programme.

 “It was very well attended by many local and visiting people and donations on the morning helped the amount the lodge had donated from a recently held concert.“

The local Co-op also got into the community spirit and a generously donated a selection of tea bags, coffee and biscuits for the event.