Family brewer Hall & Woodhouse has chosen 20 groups across the South to benefit from its annual Community Chest Awards.

Announced during a ceremony at the H&W Brewery in Blandford Forum, these latest grants – totalling over £30,000 – are part of a wider £60,000 fund donated by the business to communities where it operates.

This year’s fund is the largest since the community chest began in 2002 – since when H&W has awarded over £800,000 to more than 900 worthy causes.

Among this year’s beneficiaries are organisations that offer essential services to children and young people, the elderly, people with disabilities, the vulnerable, and those providing aid to combat homelessness.

Mark Woodhouse, family director of Hall & Woodhouse, said: “We’re delighted to deliver a record-breaking community chest fund to support the multitude of voluntary organisations we have in the south.

“Our Community Chest Awards celebrate the amazing people doing fantastic things in our local areas and are a chance to thank and to give back to those who go above and beyond to help others.

“We’re proud that the community chest is now in its 23rd year and have already committed to returning the awards for 2025, extending our support further with another grant fund.”

This year, grants went to groups including Routes to Roots, a Poole charity providing cooked lunches and hosting a Homelessness Hub with basic necessities, and Helpful Hounds Assistance Dogs in Bournemouth, which trains canines for people with autism, Down’s syndrome and other emotional issues.

The H&W community chest works in partnership with both the Dorset and Eastern Community Foundations.

• hall-woodhouse.co.uk