MORE than £20,000 has been dished out to Oxfordshire charities in the latest round of community grants by the publishers of the Oxford Mail.

The Gannett Foundation, which is part of Gannett, the owner of Newsquest Oxfordshire, has spread the money out to three charities in the county - to Age Concern Oxfordshire to extend its premises in Banbury, mental health group Restore for a new minibus in Didcot and the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Milton Park, for a new automatic door to the premises.

The foundation offers grants of up to £50,000 to community groups which take a creative approach to local needs and benefit a large number of people, with priority given to schemes which will have a lasting benefit, help people with special needs, and projects involving sport, the environment, conservation and local history.

Derek Holmes, the editor of our sister paper The Oxford Times, said: “We are delighted that these very worthwhile schemes have won funding from the Gannett Foundation.

“They are very worthy causes and we hope the money will make a real difference to people’s lives.

“Every year we receive dozens of applications from hardworking charities, promoting projects that make a difference in their communities.

“This spring’s applications were particularly good and numerous, and we wish it was possible to reward more schemes.

“The scheme is open for applications twice a year so we hope that some of the unsuccessful projects will apply again in the future.”

For more information about the Gannett Foundation, see gannettfoundation.org tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk