COMMUNITY and cultural organisations will share a £60,000 windfall to boost the arts and heritage sector.

Bridport Arts Centre, the Charmouth Heritage Centre, Lyme Regis music charity B Sharp, Lyme Regis Museum and the town's Marine Theatre are to receive a cash injection as part of Dorset Council's Organisational Revenue Support Fund.

Starting from April 1, these organisations will be supported with a three-year funding agreement courtesy of the fund.

Bridport Arts Centre and Lyme Regis Museum will be receiving £20,000 each, whilst the Marine Theatre will receive £10,000 and B Sharp and the Charmouth Heritage Centre will get £5,000 each.

The fund was launched last October and awards grants for up to three years to cultural and community organisations.

Mick Smith, director of Bridport Arts Centre, said: "We are thrilled to receive this funding from Dorset Council, which will help to underpin our future sustainability and support us in providing high quality arts experiences for our audiences and supporters in West Dorset."

Ruth Cohen, chief executive of B Sharp, said: "Making music with others has been shown to have important benefits for young people's creativity, confidence, and social and personal skills as they move towards adulthood. B Sharp are extremely grateful to receive to support from Dorset Council, which will allow us to bring the transformative power of music to more young people across Dorset."

The new fund has a grant budget of £279,000 and a substantial number of museums, heritage and arts organisations submitted applications totalling £759,000.

The grant panel assessed the applications and recipients were informed of the outcome before Christmas.

Cllr Jill Haynes, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services said:

“I’m delighted Dorset Council is able to offer this support to the county’s cultural and community organisations, despite pressure on our budgets, as we know they play such a key part in the health, wellbeing and learning of so many people.

“We know that Arts Council England invests £2.5 million revenue funding into Dorset’s arts and cultural organisations and one of the reasons they do this is because Dorset Council continues to invest in the cultural sector.”

Applications were assessed against how organisations delivered economic and social outcomes aligned to the council’s priorities listed in the Dorset Council Plan.

The panel said they were pleased to support more of the county’s town museums and arts organisations some of which have not received regular funding before, helping them to strengthen their organisations during these difficult times.