ORGANISATIONS in Dorset are set to benefit as a supermarket chain welcomes the latest causes to its Local Community Fund.

Thanks to Co-op members, more than £84m has been raised for over 25,000 causes since 2016, by choosing branded products and services.

Members are encouraged to pick a local cause to support each year in their community that are supporting access to food, mental wellbeing support or opportunities for young people, helping to build stronger, more resilient communities across the UK.

Now, 21 local causes have been welcomed in Dorset, including Frome Valley First School PTFA, Project Linus West Dorset, and Dorset Search And Rescue, which are set to receive a grant to help them deliver local projects in their community.

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director, Community and Membership at the Co-op said: “We know that this year is going to be another incredibly challenging year for local causes and communities. With the cost of living rising dramatically already this year, charities are likely to bear the brunt of people being more conscious about their spending.

“We work hard to bring people together to ‘co-operate for a fairer world’. Our members focus their support on mental wellbeing, access to food and providing opportunities for young people, because we know all of these make a huge contribution to fairer, more resilient and happier communities. We are delighted to welcome a new round of causes to our Local Community Fund, providing much needed support for people in their local communities and making the world a fairer place.”

In November, it was announced that 21 local causes in Dorset had received £47,698 from the Local Community Fund taking the total since 2016 to £347,714.