A charity supporting young people struggling with their lives has received an anonymous donation of £15,000.

The ASPIRE Project, which was established in 2010, has welcomed the funds that will enable this work to continue for a further year.

Voluntary project manager, Arthur Woodgate, thanked the funders - who prefer to remain anonymous - "for their kind and extremely generous donation of £15,000".

Initial funding for the project came from a variety of sources, including Children in Need, Comic Relief, Learning in the Community, BBC Radio Solent and the Prince's Trust.

Mr Woodgate said: "However, and however much, this support was appreciated. The need to reach beyond the boundaries set my many funders was obvious. Support from within our own community has meant that we have been able to support those most in need with organisations as diverse as the NHS and a local primary school."

This support has meant that since 2018, the ASPIRE Project has been able to work independently to offer free support to children, young people and families in need.

"I believe ASPIRE receives the support it receives because, quite simply, it works and works well," added Mr Woodgate. "Without the dedication and outstanding talents of project co-ordinator Charlotte Storey, it was unlikely that such an ambitious project could have worked at all."

ASPIRE as previously commended to the Centre for Social Justice, a think tank that works to enable those living in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities to be given opportunities to flourish and reach their full potential.

It is a partnership between not-for-profit company Bridport Enterprise Supporting Training Ltd and the Bridport Young Persons' Action Trust (BYPAT) charity.

In a new development, and with the support of local schools, the partnership is teaming up with Bridport Leisure Centre towards providing free places, including free meals, for children needing support at their annual summer camp.

The centre has received Holiday Activity and Food funding from Dorset Council, whilst funding to enable artist Jo Burlington to work with the children towards producing the centre's first outdoor mural has been boosted by the support of Adrian Scadding and the Brit Valley Rotary Club.