DORSET’S Hall & Woodhouse brewery has pumped thousands of pounds into projects in Dorset.
Hall & Woodhouse’s Community Chest Awards has donated more than £50,000 to 43 causes across the south of England - including 18 in Dorset which will share almost £20,000.
Local recipients include Weymouth and Portland's Veterans Hub, which has been given a £2,000 boost.
The Veterans Hub comprises a café providing free and subsidised meals to veterans and their families within the local community. There is also a therapeutic area with raised allotments, an indoor gym, sensory garden and a reading room. The £2,000 grant will be used towards the cost of providing meals for veterans and for vehicle repairs to provide transport to the hub.
Other local groups include Island Community Action which gets £1,000, Read Easy South Dorset which gets £600, and Portland Man Shed which receives £500.
Lucinda Gray, company relationship manager of Hall & Woodhouse (H&W), said: “The charity sector is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.
"We have heard first-hand from the causes we celebrated during our Community Chest Awards evening, just how severely impacted fundraising has been due to the various lockdowns.
"I'm proud that as a business, H&W managed to navigate the turbulence of the past 18 months to remain committed to the Community Chest Awards this year.
"The need has never been greater to support our local communities and we're thrilled the Community Chest initiative continues to make such a significant difference - almost 20 years on since its inception."
The annual awards are an initiative created by Hall & Woodhouse (H&W), with the ambition to improve both the facilities and the lives of people in the community, by providing grants to local voluntary groups and causes that require financial support.
Applications will be open for the 2022 Community Chest awards in February, where voluntary groups can request funding ranging from £400 to £4,000, to help them achieve their aims. Grants could be awarded for new equipment, training, transport or running costs, and can be made towards youth services, the elderly, or any other projects that enhance the local community.
The full list of the Hall & Woodhouse 2021 Community Chest (Western area) winners:
- 1st Beaminster Scout Group - £500 (Beaminster, Dorset)
- Beehive Community Complex - £800 (Honiton, Devon)
- Bridport and District Citizens Advice - £1,000 (Bridport, Dorset)
- Christchurch and District Concert Band - £800 (Christchurch, Dorset)
- Crowthorne HopeZone - £1,000 (Crowthorne, Berkshire)
- Dementia Friendly Gillingham Community - £1,500 (Gillingham, Dorset)
- Dorset Nightstop - £1,000 (Ferndown, Dorset)
- Dressability - £500 (Swindon, Wiltshire)
- Fernheath Play - £800 (Bournemouth, Dorset)
- In Jolly Good Company - £500 (Wimborne, Dorset)
- Island Community Action - £1,000 (Portland, Dorset)
- Man Shed - £500 (Portland, Dorset)
- MYTIME Young Carers - £2,000 (Poole, Dorset)
- New Forest Bike Project - £1,000 (New Milton, Hampshire)
- ‘On Track’ Wellbeing Event (at the Tank Museum) - £1,000 (Bovington, Dorset)
- Poole Sea Cadets - £1,500 (Poole, Dorset)
- Read Easy South Dorset - £600 (Portesham, Dorset)
- River Bourne Community Farm - £1,400 (Salisbury, Wiltshire)
- Teignbridge Canoe Club - £1,000 (Teignmouth, Devon)
- Vale Pantry - £2,000 (Sturminster Newton, Dorset)
- Veterans Hub, Weymouth and Portland - £2,000 (Weymouth, Dorset)
- Water Lily Project - £1,500 (Christchurch, Dorset)
- Wimborne Community Food Supply - £1,000 (Wimborne, Dorset)
- Win on Waste - £475 (Wimborne, Dorset)
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