A Bristol woman has pledged £100,000 to help local causes as part of a new Government-backed initiative which will see the money nearly doubled to £192,000.

The six-figure donation to the Quartet Community Foundation by Joan Hawkins will be increased once Gift Aid is added, and will receive a further 50 per cent boost from the government's Grassroots Endowment Match Challenge.

The pledge is not Mrs Hawkins' first to the grant-making organisation - she set up the Walter Hawkins Fund as a memorial to her husband, the former owner of the Bristo Post, and also holds The Rosebowl Fund which contributes to supporting the annual Rose Bowl Awards.

The focus of the donations made by Mrs Hawkins, 84, from Alveston, is on supporting the arts in the region.

She said: "I feel it's vital to help local community organisations, but importantly I enjoy it. Quartet makes my giving a pleasant and fulfilling experience by finding interesting ways to help me be involved in the process. It's very satisfying."

Mrs Hawkins made her first donation after the death of her husband in 1992.

She hopes that some of her new fund will go towards supporting the Royal West of England Academy in Clifton.

Her donation is the biggest so far using the matching scheme - but there have been nine other funds set up by other local philanthropists.

Julian and Lindsay Telling have pledged £10,000, which has grown to nearly £20,000 with the Grassroots Challenge.

Mr Telling said: "As born and bred Bristolians, both my wife and I were keen to give something back to the community. The Grassroots Challenge seemed an ideal way of significantly increasing our contribution and therefore allowing us to help local communities in a greater way."

Recent grants made by Quartet to organisations in Bristol include £500 to Bishport United FC to buy football kit for a local team of 12-year-olds and £2,000 to Som(e)brit to fund activities and rent for a group for Somali women and their children in the city.

The national £50 million Grassroots scheme was set up to provide an incentive for local businesses and individuals to give into their own communities.

Fran Jones, Quartet's Chief Executive, said: "In order to get the maximum amount from government, local individuals and companies need to raise just under £2 million by March 2011. This is a challenge, but together we can achieve it. Please get in touch to offer your support."

To find out more about how you can help call 0117 989 7700.