A PIONEERING Bridport organisation set up to help low income pensioners balance their books has been given a £254,000 grant to expand the service nationwide.

TaxHelp for Older People (TOP), which operates from the Pineapple Farm business estate at Salway Ash, was awarded the money by the Big Lottery Fund this week.

Delighted officials say the massive windfall - to be paid over three years - will ensure the long term future of their new call centre and pave the way for more local jobs.

TOP is a charity providing free advice on personal tax to older people who could not otherwise afford professional help.

Set up as a pilot project in West Dorset some five years ago, the take- up has been enormous.

Last year director Paddy Millard and operations manager Sarah Ashby opened new headquarters at Pineapple Farm and launched the service across the UK.

Now the new lottery funding will enable TOP to recruit a further 250 chartered taxation advisers to cover the whole country.

Mrs Ashby said: "It is very exciting because we have been operating for the past four years on a small scale and have found that there is a huge demand for help with tax problems from relatively poor, retired people.

"It is good news for Bridport, too, because the charity started here and the national call centre is based at Pineapple Business Park, which is currently providing employment for three local people but this number will now increase.

"Now we will be able to expand and promote our service. Anyone of retirement age with a household income of under £15,000 from anywhere in the UK is eligible for our help with income tax, capital gains and inheritance tax."

Sir Clive Booth, chairman of the Big Lottery Fund, said: "We are extremely pleased to be able to contribute to the work that tax volunteers do for these in-need members of the community as there is currently no other service of this kind available.

"This tax advice will make a huge difference to the lives of low-income older people."