The Dorchester Market Car Boot Fund is now open for applications from community and voluntary organisations working in and around Dorchester.

The fund comes from weekly car boot sales held in Dorchester and will be distributed to local community and voluntary organisations in and around the town to benefit projects operating within or supporting residents living in the area.

In 2020, over £13,000 was awarded to local community and voluntary organisations in Dorchester. The fund is jointly administered between Dorset Council and Dorchester Town Council.

Among the organisations who received funding in 2020 were Bradford Peverell Village Hall who received £1,000 towards the replacement of their roof, Homestart West Dorset which received £1,500 towards their running costs and Dorchester Blind Association towards volunteer expenses and transport costs for their home support service.

Cllr Molly Rennie, Chair of the Dorchester Market Car Boot Grant Panel said: "It was wonderful to award over £13,000 to these local organisations. We recognise the hard work that they do to make lives better for others. Thank you to those who hire pitches at the car boot sale in Dorchester."

Following a hiatus during the pandemic, the 2022/23 car boot fund is now open and will close at midnight on Saturday 12th November. Decisions will be made at the end of November and groups will be notified before the Christmas break. Successful applicants will be invited to a celebration event next year to share news about their projects.

An application form and additional guidance can be found on the Dorset Council website.

If you require a hard copy of the application form this can be collected from Dorchester Town Council, North Square, Dorchester.

For further information and guidance contact Fiona Thomas in the Communities and Partnerships Team on 01305 838459 or email [email protected]