COMMUNITIES can apply for funding for initiatives that will help older people in Dorset get active outdoors.

Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund, Stepping into Nature, led by the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) team has grants available from £100 up to £2000.

Cllr Daryl Turner, the county council’s cabinet member for natural and built environment, said: "We want to encourage local community groups to come forward with ideas that help older people get outdoors in the natural environment.

"Being outdoors and sharing it with someone, even for a short time, is a crucial part of living well. Many people today have become detached from the natural world for various reasons such as mobility, lack of confidence or transport.

"The grants offer a great opportunity to fund projects which help reconnect older people, including those with dementia, with nature and enjoy the benefits it brings to health and wellbeing."

Julie Hammon, Project Officer for AONB, said: “We would really like to see new projects which make the natural environment accessible for all, create opportunities to learn new skills and reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness in local communities."

For more information go to stepin2nature.org or call Julie on 01305 224785.