TWO Malvern charities have spent the week celebrating after receiving grants worth thousands of pounds thanks to the Malvern Gazette and Ledbury Reporter.

Earlier this year the paper offered local groups the chance to bid for funding from the Gannett Foundation, the charity arm of Gannett Co Inc, which owns the Gazette and Reporter’s publisher Newsquest Media Group.

This week Gazette editor John Murphy had the pleasure of handing cheques for £20,000 to Community Action Malvern and District, and £3,588 to Malvern Special Families.

The money will allow both charities to improve and expand the services they offer to the community.

Community Action will be using the cash to help replace one of its two minibuses, which are used to take elderly people on valuable shopping and social trips around the district.

A fully kitted-out minibus will cost the group £40,000, and treasurer Ron Carter said it would have been difficult to meet this cost without the support of the grant.

“Finding funding can be very difficult these days and we are so very grateful to the gannett Foundation for this grant,” he said. “This secures the future of the service that we offer to the community.

“It will mean a lot to everyone involved with the group and all the people that Community Action helps.”

Malvern Special Families, which supports families who have disabilities and special needs, will be using its money to improve the facilities in the sensory room at its base in Bluebell Close.

Manager Maria Munday explained: “The sensory room is an important facility for children who have impaired communication or perception skills. It helps them to explore their environment and the new equipment will considerably improve our services.

“It is fantastic news that we are getting this money. We definitely would not have been able to make these improvements without the award from the Gannett Foundation.”

The Gannett Foundation helps to improve lives in many communities served by the Gannett Co Inc.

Each year money is allocated from a ring-fenced pot.

Since its inception , the Gannett Foundation has given more than 150 million dollars to thousands of charitable projects across the United States and United Kingdom.