A project hoping to secure the town as England’s first Rights Respecting town has received a boost.

Bridport Rights Respecting has received £13,500 in funding.

David Powell, steering group member, said: “The project has grown from an initiative driven initially by Bridport’s young people.

“Our ambition is to take the project forward with local people keen to further strengthen our diverse and enterprising community.”

The funding has been awarded by Global Dialogue, a charitable trust which aims to build stronger support for human rights and to increase the amount of funding for human rights activities in the UK. This followed a joint bid by the council and human rights organisation, RealisingRights.

On January 31, 2018, the town council declared its commitment for the town to be Rights Respecting and launched Bridport’s Rights Respecting Citizens’ Charter.

The intention of the declaration and charter is to improve individual and community wellbeing through a better understanding of human rights, the opportunities and responsibilities.

Deputy mayor Cllr Anne Rickard, who was mayor at the time of the declaration and a member of the steering group, said: “I am so thankful for our project to be offered this generous grant. It is imperative for us to be able to extend into the wider community of our town the transformation and wellbeing felt in our local schools through the wonderful Rights Respecting work done there over many years.

“This is a great opportunity for Bridport town to further its Rights Respecting programme.”

The rights are set out in the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the UK Human Rights At 1998 and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Sir John Colfox Academy is currently working towards the UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School award which, if successful, will make Colfox one of only nine secondary schools nationally to achieve it.

For more information, visit bridport-tc.gov.uk