GOOD causes in west Dorset will share in a funding boost of more than £11,000.

The Co-op has given charities a lift through its Local Community Fund, money which has been raised by members and through the sale of carrier bags.

In total £11,325 has been shared by 21 local causes including Read Easy Bridport, Prout Bridge Project, 1st Beaminster Scout Group, Lyme Regis Sea School, and The Woodroffe School PTFA.

Co-op members receive a five per cent reward every time they purchase own brand goods and services with a further one per cent going to local causes. Since the scheme began in 2016 more than 21,000 local causes across the UK have received over £60m.

The supermarket will continue to support these causes, with another six months of funding. Co-op members can choose to support a particular cause by logging in at www.coop.co.uk/local-causes

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community and Shared Value at the Co-op, said: “The local community fund is now a well-established way of supporting local causes who help to make communities safer, happier, and healthier places to live.

“All the local community causes we’re connected to are at the centre of helping their communities. We’ve increased the payout to give the causes a vital cash injection to help them continue the essential work they do in the community at this time of crisis and difficulty for so many people.”