CHARITIES Nightsafe and the Rossendale Hospice have received gifts of cash for vital improvements from the Lancashire Telegraph’s parent company.

Five trustees of the Gannett Foundation decided last month how to allocate over £300,000 between charities across the country.

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Blackburn’s Nightsafe this week received a cheque for £5,530 for tumble-dryers for its shelter supporting homeless and vulnerable people.

The Rossendale Hospice received a £2,115 donation for a shower trolley to aid its care for patients with life-limiting conditions.

In total 52 grants were made across the circulation areas of the 165 publications owned by Gannett’s UK arm Newsquest.

Jan Larkin, chief executive of Nightsafe Ltd based at the Boulevard Centre on Railway Road, said: “We are delighted.”

The organisation has a five-bed emergnecy shelter for homeless young people and provides day support and advice for those aged 16 to 24 with housing problems in Blackburn with Darwen borough.

She said: “These tumble-dryers will make real difference, giving our clients somewhere to wash and dry their clothes which is really important to their self-esteem.”

Alison Whittaker-Stewart, fundraising and marketing manager of the Rossendale Hospice in Bacup Road in Rawtenstall which provides day care for those with life-limiting illnesses, was similarly pleased.

She said: “We are absolutely delighted.

“We have long wanted one of these trolleys to help clients with mobility problems to use our wet rooms which will make a huge difference.”

Simon Westrop, chairman of the trustees, said: “Experience has taught us real benefits are more likely to be delivered by smaller, well-defined and well-targeted donations.

“So we tend to like simple things we can understand and which deliver obvious and immediate improvements to people’s lives.

“The two tumble-dryers are a good illustration of what I mean.”