6:10am Thursday 4th September 2008
By Phil Fleming
GROUPS and charities across the Lancaster district are being invited to apply for cash aid – with a little help from the Citizen.
Money is up for grabs for the second time in 2008 from the Gannett Foundation, sponsored by Newsquest’s parent company Gannett.
Already this year the Ashton Hall Organ restoration Project has scooped £10,000 from the pot for renovation work on the century-old organ in Lancaster Town Hall.
And in the first round of grants in the spring, Galloway’s Society for the Blind in Morecambe also won a £5,000 windfall to boost its work with blind and partially sighted people across the North Lancashire area.
Those gifts were on top of £10,000 which was given to Piccadilly Gardens in Lancaster to buy a new office building in 2006 and an earlier £6,000 award to Galloway’s for its talking newspapers for the blind in 2005.
Now the Gannett Foundation is opening its purse again and wants to see applications from charities and projects within the distribution area of the Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen.
The foundation supports projects that take a creative approach to issues such as neighbourhood improvement, help for disadvantaged people, economic development, conservation, youth development, education and community problem solving.
Margaret Strayton, Newsquest group editorial manager and a trustee of the foundation, says: “Like many donors we receive many more requests than we can fund but we help where we feel we can make a lasting difference to people in the communities we serve.”
All donations are strictly at the discretion of the fund – but things that it will not consider include: • unregistered charitable causes • applications not on the official form • applications that alter the form or do not give full answers • funding of salaries or general running costs •endowment funds • animal charities • medical research • causes promoting religion.
An official application form can be obtained from Phil Fleming, Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen, Victoria Court, Penny Street, Lancaster LA1 1XN or by e-mailing phil.fleming@lancaster. newsquest.co.uk The deadline for this round of applications is Friday, October 3. The trustress will meet later that month to make their decisions.
Applicants must note that five copies of the application form must be submitted. For more information, call 01524-382121
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