DISABLED people across East Lancashire have benefitted from much-needed new wheelchairs – thanks to the Lancashire Telegraph’s parent company.

The Red Cross was awarded £1,500 by the Gannett Foundation, which went towards replacing 100 of its ageing wheelchairs.

The service, which covers the whole of East Lancashire from a base in Preston, loans out wheelchairs for free or for a small donation.

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Gannett’s kind-hearted gesture came after the Red Cross launched the Lancashire Wheelchair Appeal to replace its ageing fleet.

The company’s donation helped the charity beat its own target of £15,000 by £466.

Sharon, 58, a former children’s centre team leader, is one of the people who has benefitted.

She said: “The wheelchair made a whole difference to my life.

“It was a Godsend.

“The chair has been all over the country.

“We’ve been down to London to see a show for my birthday and it went all around London with us.

“This is why I came to Red Cross. Otherwise I would have been housebound.

“If I hadn’t had the chair I would have probably gone mad. I retired from work early and I was ready to do all sorts of things. And then I was completely knocked back by the illness.”

Senior fundraiser for Lancashire, Alison Whittaker-Stewart, who lives in Baxenden, said: “Some people can’t afford to go to a private mobility company, and the NHS can’t always provide one.

“To be able to have funding worth £1,500 from the Gannett Foundation, which will enable us to buy 10 wheelchairs that will last 10 years and help many people, is incredible and we really appreciate it.

“In Lancashire last year, we helped around 765 people. Some loaned a wheelchair for a few days, while others used it for a few weeks.”

She continued: “We loan wheelchairs out for many reasons; where somebody has come out of hospital after a stroke, or for older people who can’t walk and need to go to a funeral, or just want to go out with their family for the day.

“It lets people live as normal a life as possible and it’s a service that really makes a difference.”