TWO prominent South Lakeland charities have been awarded thousands of pounds by the Westmorland Gazette's parent company.

A total of £9,120 was awarded to the Bendrigg Trust, in Old Hutton, and Sight Advice, in Kendal, to make improvements that will benefit the lives of disabled people across the region.

Annual donations are made to charities by the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the company that owns Newsquest, and more than £3million being distributed in the last 10 years.

The Bendrigg Trust, a residential activity centre specialising in high-quality courses for disabled and disadvantaged people, has been granted £6,100 for a wheelchair swing which will be located in their up-and-coming Aiming High Field.

Trevor Clarke, Principle at the Trust, said: "We are over the moon. This grant will enable us to put a fantastic wheelchair swing in our Aiming High field, which we have been trying to develop for the last five years. I don't know of any other swings of this kind in the South Lakeland area so it's a bit of a first.

"It's a great piece of kit. We want to make Bendrigg part of the local community and make the Aiming High Field a community field so local disabled groups or families with a disabled child can come here for the day."

Sight Advice, based on Stricklandgate, helps local visually impaired people and it received £3,020 for an interactive whiteboard.

Claire Park, director of Sight Advice, said: "Interactive white boards can be hugely beneficial for visually impaired people as it allows the re-sizing of text and graphics and the adjustment of brightness and context.

"Visually impaired people can manipulate objects and use large text on an interactive whiteboard’s big surface and participate in computer-based learning in ways that would not be possible on a smaller computer screen. The audio facility means that those with more severe sight loss can also participate in group sessions.

"Sight advice would use the board to support our children's and young people's projects."

Simon Westrop, a trustee of the Gannett Foundation, said: "As local news publishers, we can make a difference. We are always pleased to make relatively small but creative gifts to encourage activities of all kinds that enrich the daily lives of the people who read our brands."