A PROJECT that helps prisoners back into the community has been hailed a success.

The Footprints Project, based in Dorchester, has completed a pilot scheme and secured new funding.

The £40,000 will help the project continue its work helping former inmates settle into Dorset.

Project manager Jane Barkes said the money would be used to help older and more serious offenders.

She said: "A lot of older offenders are imprisoned for a long time so they have no family to support them on the outside. This money is a good start but we are hoping for a lot more."

Martin Baker, chief constable of Dorset Police, said: "I am delighted to hear of the success of the Footprints Project pilot scheme.

"Reduction in re-offending it a key priority and I welcome members of the wider community, trained and supervised, working to help guide and resettle those leaving prison."

Footprints is a registered charity funded by charitable trusts, donations and some government funding.

The group links each participant to a trained volunteer mentor who supports them.

In the three-year pilot scheme working with Dorchester Prison some 255 ex-offenders were helped by more than 30 mentors. Most people returned to Dorset addresses and views on the project were sought from local authorities, police and prisoners themselves.

A statement from Footprints said: "The impact of the project was achieved on a very constrained budget, including part-time staff, training materials, volunteers' expenses and offices.

"Funding for the pilot was principally from a number of trusts, to whom the project is very grateful.

"Core funding is now being sought for the ongoing work."

The recent donations came from Bournemouth's Valentine Trust (£10,000) and the John Paul Getty Junior Charitable Trust (£30,000).

Statistics show that more than 65 per cent of prisoners released return to prison within two years.