NEARLY £30,000 will help support young carers and students, people with learning difficulties and the homeless through this year's Gannett Foundations appeal.
Charities have been applying for the past few months for a slice of the cash windfall being dished out by the Oxford Mail's parent company Gannett Media.
Each year the foundation sifts through a whole host of worthy causes before handing over thousands of pounds to the lucky chosen recipients.
Each organisation has big plans for their futures, at a time when funding elsewhere is tight.
Naomi Herring spoke to the project leaders to find out exactly what their extra money means to them.

RAW Workshop - Blackbird Leys

A WORKFORCE of about 25 people will move into the New Year with a spring in their step at the Blackbird Leys RAW Workshop thanks to a successful Gannett Foundation application.
The charity, which trains disadvantaged people in woodwork on the Oxford estate, has been handed a cash boost of £8,420 to modernise its workshop.
RAW managing director Rick Mower said the generous windfall is life-changing and will allow the group to help more people ‘become exceptional as no longer an exception’.
He said: “RAW has a fabulous workforce of 25 people and growing. We engage, train and employ people from the local community who face disadvantage and prejudice.
“Our current crew includes people who have learning and physical disabilities, those with mental health illness, folks in recovery from addiction and ex-offenders. Such a generous donation has really given the crew a boost and will mean we start 2017 with an even bigger spring in our step. 
“It’s also really important to know that community-focused organisations like Gannet believe in us and are prepared to provide support.”
The group, in Dunnock Way, will now be able to expand its workshop by buying equipment such as power tools for providing training for people with disabilities or mental illnesses.
It currently works to produce garden, home and office furniture from reclaimed timber.
Mr Mower added: “It was the most amazing news, especially coming so close to Christmas.”

Bardwell special educational school - Bicester

A CASH boost for Bardwell special education school in Bicester has helped make plans a reality for a new 'life skills kitchen'.
Funding of £4,000 has been stumped up by the Gannett Foundation to enable the school charity – Friends of Bardwell School – to put plans in place for a kitchen where children will learn vital skills.
Headteacher John Riches said the announcement would allow children to go on to lead fulfilled lives through learning cooking and socialising.
He said: "It feels fantastic to have been successful in our application to The Gannett Foundation, and exciting that our original idea to install a newly designed kitchen is close to becoming a reality.
"The Friends of Bardwell School applied to The Gannett Foundation for funding to enable us to redesign our Life Skills kitchen. The original kitchen was installed when the building was built so is quite dated and in need of a redesign to be more spacious and accessible.
"The grant provides a significant amount of the money to help fund new units and appliances along with the installation of our newly-designed kitchen. The end product will be an inspirational learning space for our students."
Bardwell School, based in Hendon Place, works with children aged two to 19 and has about 70 people on its roll.
Mr Riches added: "Along with The Gannett Foundation, I would like to thank The Friends of Bardwell School who continue to provide excellent support for our school through organisation events for our school community and supporting the wider needs and priorities of the school."

South and Vale Young Carers - Didcot

A FUN day out to the studios were kids' favourite Harry Potter was filmed, is the least that can be done to give a boost to the carers as young as age eight who care for family members.
The Gannett Foundation has donated £5,700 to South and Vale Young Carers to give back a little to the young carers who give so much of themselves.
The charity works with up to 400 young carers across South Oxfordshire each year to give them a break and the cash funding will help add a tour of the Warner Bros Studios near London, Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire, and Thorpe Park in Surrey, to the list.
Manager John Tabor said: "We work with young carers aged eight to 24, offering time for them to take a break, make friends and have fun.
"The funding means a lot. As a charity it simply means we can do more and reach more young carers.
"We are over the moon and so very grateful."
The charity has been running for 21 years and works with both young carers and their families to offer time away for youngsters.
Young carer Katie Dean, 13, from Didcot said: "I look after my 16-year-old brother because he has got autism and my mum also has arthritis in her hips and can't do much heavy lifting so I help her out with the shopping.
"I help my brother mainly with homework, take him to the shops and make his packed lunch for him.
"Young Carers makes me feel happy as I get a bit of a break and I have made a few friends as well and people come up and say I know how you feel and its nice we have things in common."
The group is also looking for volunteers, anyone interested see svcarers.org.uk

Base 33 - Witney

THE wheels are in motion for the team at a Witney youth centre to start building a new cyber cafe at thanks to its cash boost.
A prize windfall of £7,000 from the Gannett Foundation will go towards creating the new space at Base 33, which supports vulnerable young adults and the homeless.
Managing director of the Welch Way centre, Wendy Dawson said the group were 'blown away' by the news and said they were also looking forward to modernising their kitchen facilities with the help of the cash.
She added: "It just shows what can be achieved by a bit of hard work. What a fantastic gift to give a small charity like us.
"It means we can turn the area into something really modern and attractive. If you don't have something nice for the children and young people then they will never respect it.
"It gives us the opportunity to buy a new cooker, we can tidy up the units and get new flooring."
The youth group has been running for about 17 years and caters for people aged 13 to 24.
It provides a space for teenagers and young adults to come and speak to volunteers, or just relax in a safe environment.
Ms Dawson added: "Cyber bullying is a really big issue that we are dealing with at the moment, and we hope to help tackle this through the open access of a cyber cafe.
"We believe in developing healthy relationships with young people. We don't care who they are or what they are.
"People turn up and may just need feeding a decent meal, as they're often not eating the right food so may be overweight or underweight.
"Others may just turn up for a chat or to be social among others."

St Peters's Playgroup - Wolvercote

IT'S smiles all round for the pupils at St Peter's Playgroup in Wolvercote after a Christmas cash boost of £4,300.
Gone are the days of muddy play for the youngsters as plans are in place to replace 'hazardous' turf with artificial grass.
Parents have said the Gannett funding will make a huge difference just knowing the play area can be used all year round.
Playgroup committee member Megan Carberry said: "The playgroup is an integral part of the village community.
"As a mum myself, I know it is an absolutely amazing place and the staff are outstanding.
"There is a lovely outside play area but there is a piece of land which is always in the shade.
"This means that when it is wet or wintery, it never really dries out. It becomes really muddy and quite hazardous to the point where it has to be fenced off during the winter, which obviously cuts down the outside play area quite a bit."
The playgroup has been running for about 40 years by a group of working parents.
Muddy grass has meant children often end up very grubby after outside play or, at worst, unable to play outside in that area at all.
For a number of years the committee has looked at ideas to combat the unusable play area but have never been able to afford to buy artificial grass.
The Gannet funding will make this a reality.
Ms Carberry added: "Both the staff and children will be very excited to be able to use that area and enjoy themselves."