Weymouth Town Council split £8,150 grant across three groups

They'll allow organisations to 'seek their full potential towards helping others'

Author: Jamie GuerraPublished 23rd Dec 2022

Weymouth Town Council’s approved grants from The Lantern Trust, The Health and Activity Team and Chesil Sailability.

A total of £8,150 will be spread across all three groups. Councillor and Chair of the committee, David Gray said 'providing grants to these groups will allow them to seek their full potential towards helping others'.

The Lantern Trust was given a grant of £5,000 for each of the next three years. The trust aims to help vulnerable and marginalised people in the Weymouth and Portland area.

They help in various ways from giving housing and benefits advice to providing a safe space for those suffering from domestic abuse or experiencing mental health issues.

Last year, The Lantern Trust helped 395 clients and provided more than 3500 support sessions to clients over the year. A client said: “we couldn’t afford to pay the deposit needed for our flat, but The Lantern Trust offered help when we had no more options.”

Another noted: “I was sleeping on a beach with nowhere to go until The Lantern Trust listened, housed me and I began to see a future for myself again.”

Chesil Sailability will also receive a grant of £800. Chesil Sailability is a local group who are passionate about going sailing, regardless of disabilities.

Inspired by 2012 Paralympic Games, Chesil Sailability is a volunteer-run charity and provides taster sessions, fun sailing opportunities through to competitive racing.

The club is based at the Paralympic sailing venue on Portland, and they encourage people with all disabilities to take part in the sport.

Finally, a further £2,250 will be awarded to The Health and Activity Team, a group that encourages local people to participate in regular exercise like cycling, walking, orienteering and running. The money is likely is spent on purchasing and housing equipment like bikes.

David Gray added: "the grants awarded by Weymouth Town Council demonstrate all the different organisations that can benefit from this funding.”

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