THE MANAGER of a Didcot charity which received a £15,000 grant thanks to the Oxford Mail has urged others to apply.

Every year the Gannett Foundation, the official charity of the Oxford Mail’s parent company Gannett, gives away about £20,000 to a range of worthy causes in the county.

Applications for this year are now open and organisations with registered charity status are in with a chance of receiving a grant of £5,000, £10,000, or more towards their project.

In 2009, Oxfordshire mental health charity Restore was overjoyed to receive £15,000 via the scheme.

The group splashed out on a new 15-seater Ford Transit minibus to pick people up from their homes and bring them to the charity’s service centre in Didcot, which supports about 55 people a week who have mental health problems.

Manager of the Restore centre Olivier Guillot said: “We were able to take people on a trip to Cotswold Wildlife Park near Burford with the grant, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

“The minibus works very well and is a big improvement on our previous minibus which kept breaking down.

“People come to our centre from across south Oxfordshire, which is a big area so we need a good van so that we can pick people up.”

Head of external relations at Restore, Gemma Humphrey, said she encouraged other charities to sign up to the scheme.

She said: “Lots of charities apply to many different trusts that don’t have an interest in the area. With the backing from the Oxford Mail, it’s good to see local charities benefitting.

“We are applying again this year as we would like to get new equipment for The Garden Cafe in Cowley Road, which is run by some of our volunteers to gain experience in catering.”

She added staff members and volunteers at the charity were overjoyed to receive the substantial grant six years ago.

She said: “We were so shocked and delighted. It was a huge thing for our members in Didcot. It meant that more people could access the service.”

The deadline for applications to be submitted for this year’s Gannett Grant is Friday, October 16.

Oxford Mail editor Simon O’Neill said: “We are once again delighted to hear from registered charities with projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues.

“The grants focus on projects that bring lasting benefits to communities that we serve.”

* To apply for a grant visit oxfordmail.co.uk/news/community/gannettfoundation/