TWO South Lakeland charities have received a boost worth thousands of pounds from The Westmorland Gazette's parent company.

A total of £7,225 has been donated to South Lakeland Carers and the Cumbria branch of the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, both based in Kendal.

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

South Lakeland Carers provides services to more than 1,000 carers in South Lakeland. It will be using the £5,615 it has been given to support and create opportunities for its network of 200 young carers, aged between five and 18.

Fundraising officer Janice Benson said: "We are delighted. This is just fantastic for us.

"Young carers have a lot of responsibility that children don't usually have. Some of our work involves making sure they can have some fun and enjoy being a child. Some is to help them with life skills.

"Young carers are responsible for shopping and cooking. Sometimes they don't cook and just eat take out all the time. This money will help us deliver training and practical life skills. We will teach them basic first aid, kitchen safety, fire safety and cooking.

"These are all skills they will use every day that most children don't have to use. This will make a huge difference to them and their families.

"Getting this money enables us to deliver a programme of workshops next year which will culminate in a weekend residential where we take them away to Brathay where they can put these skills into action. It's all about helping young carers have the same opportunities as other young people."

The Rainbow Trust works with families with children that have life threatening or terminal illnesses. It will be using its £1,610 donation to create memory boxes containing shared moments between family members.

Family support worker Kelly Haygarth said: "We rely on donations. To get this money is just brilliant. It will help us fund things to put in the boxes. We can do clay hand prints and fund things of a nicer quality like that."

Kath Gudgeon, another family support worker, said: "Before this we wouldn't be able to spend as much money on things like that. The families will be really grateful."