Five organisations including the village surgery have benefited from the annual donations made possible by Burbage’s bulk fuel buying scheme BEAM.

Burbage Energy Action Management was the first scheme of its kind in Wiltshire where villagers banded together to buy central heating oil in bulk.

About eight years ago a small group of villagers led by Cdr Rodney Stone set up BEAM as a consortium to negotiate lower prices from the oil companies.

The present supplier to the scheme is Total Butler in Devizes and in 2008 more than 650,000 litres were provided to BEAM members in Burbage and the villages around.

For every litre of heating oil supplied Total Butler gives 25p to BEAM to be distributed to local organisations. This year members agreed to hand out £1,675. Recipients were Riding for the Disabled, Burbage Surgery, Burbage Parish Council, the village Toddlers Group and Burbage Pre-School.

Eileen Devenish who has been helping run Riding for Disabled at Marlborough for many years said the cash was welcome because they were always having to buy new equipment.

The RDA sessions are held every Monday in the indoor riding school at Manton Grange with about 30 children aged from five to 16 with a variety of handicaps. The riding lessons not only give the children a lot of fun but also help them build up their self esteem and confidence.

Mrs Devenish, who earlier this year was awarded an MBE for her work with the RDA, said: “We will be using the money to buy some more equipment for various games and also need to buy some more reins and stirrups that cost £65 a pair.”

The pre-school’s manager Janet Burstow said: “We will be spending the money on outdoor things for the children, such as wet weather suits and equipment for our garden.”