CHARITIES whose valued work has a profound impact on peoples’ lives are celebrating a £17,000 boost - thanks to The Cumberland News.

Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland and the Lake District Calvert Trust have each secured sizeable grants from The Gannett Foundation.

The charitable fund is operated by Newsquest, publishers of The Cumberland News, and the money awarded will be used to further enhance each cause’s much-valued work in the community.

Hospice at Home has secured £10,000.

It will be used to buy a van to support volunteers who run its network of shops, which are critical to the charity’s need to raise £18,000 every week so that it can continue providing care for people in their own homes when they need it most.

Julie Blundell, the charity’s head of income and generation was delighted with the support and said: “The Cumberland News’ readers are based in the heart of our service area, which means their support and ongoing help to raise awareness of our charity directly results in us being able to provide more care for more people, free of charge within the area.

“We can’t thank The Cumberland News enough.

“It certainly feels like Christmas has come early.”

Julie explained that the need for the van has arisen on the back of the shops network expanding to Wigton, adding to those which have long operated in Carlisle and Penrith.

Donated stock needs to be transferred between them to ensure all are well-stocked and that the money-making potential of each is maximised.

The vehicle will also be used to take equipment and merchandise to a range of fundraising events.

Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland operates in an area covering £1,500 square miles, with palliative care including nursing, occupational and complementary therapy, lymphoedema support, physiotherapy, family support, bereavement care and a befriending service.

Its work is supported by a network of 300 volunteers.

The Calvert Trust, meanwhile, has secured £7,000 from the foundation.

It will be put towards expanding its work to creating an accessible cycling operation for disabled people, based at the Watchtree Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Carlisle.

The venture is one that those behind it say will benefit an estimated 3,500 people every year.

Sean Day, the Keswick-based trust’s centre director, said: “The Calvert Trust works with a wide range of children and adults with disabilities so having a bike with the right adaptations for each individual has always been a real challenge.

“This generous grant has enabled us to complete the purchase of our fleet of accessible bikes so that we can make sure everyone can participate fully and has a really positive experience.

“This is important because, for many of our participants, this is the first time they have been able to access a specially adapted bike that works for them.

“This creates the opportunity for them to succeed and enjoy biking, with all the life-long health and social benefits that go with it.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of The Gannett Foundation and we are immensely grateful for the support.”

The foundation received a string of strong funding applications from across Cumbria, with trustees admitting they faced some difficult decisions.

Chairman Simon Westrop said: “Amid all of the political and economic turmoil, real life goes on. And it is a privilege for the trustees to be able to do a little something to help where we can.

“If your applications did not succeed this time, please don’t be discouraged but look at applications that have won grants and think how you can come up with even better ideas next year.

“Often we think the best applications are not the headline-grabbers, but the small ones that meet a particular need and instantly improve daily life.”

Awards from the foundation are made on an annual basis. Applications will be invited from the end of July next year. Details will appear in The Cumberland News when they are open.