Bridport-based cancer rehabilitation exercise and wellbeing scheme, Stepping Out, is one of Co-op's Local Community Fund recipients for 2021.

Stepping Out started in 2015 and is usually based at Bridport Leisure Centre, but has been holding online classes since the first lockdown, to ensure that participants can continue to maintain and improve their fitness levels and enjoy the social and mental health aspects of meeting twice weekly.

A spokesman for Stepping Out said: "At a time when funds for community groups and charitable organisations are becoming more difficult to access, we're incredibly grateful for this opportunity to make a real difference to people in Bridport and the surrounding area."

Stepping Out's specially trained Level 4 Cancer Rehabilitation Exercise specialists, Richard Walsh and Jo Perfect, have ensured that attendance has remained high in classes capturing the imagination of participants and incorporating the exercises into fun routines with music.

They have also organised taster sessions of yoga, relaxation, Pilates and Tripudio, and dance over the last few months.

The spokesman added: "We really hope that people will visit the Co-op website or download the Co-op app and select us as their local cause.

"When a member buys selected branded products and services, the Co-op will give a helping hand to local causes like ours, which will enable us to keep providing this vital scheme for local participants, many of whom have or have had a serious illness."

To find out more and support Stepping Out, visit Co-op's website.

You can find out more about Stepping Out by visiting steppingout.co.uk or contact Jo at [email protected]