CHARITIES can beat the postal strike and drop their applications for grants from the Gannett Foundation in at any of our offices.

With backlogs because of the postal strike, late entrants are being urged to deliver their applications by hand to guarantee they meet Tuesday’s deadline.

The Gannett Foundation, run by the Oxford Mail’s parent company hands out £250,000 to good causes across the UK every six months.

Community projects can submit applications for a grant of up to £5,000. Larger organisations can receive more.

Two years ago, Witney-based Volunteer Link Up, which helps match volunteers with local groups, received a £1,000 grant from Gannett.

The charity recruits volunteers for community transport schemes, day centres, gardening schemes and other local organisations.

Based in Witney's Methodist Church Centre, the organisation spent the grant on some desperately-needed new furniture.

Patricia Chirgwin, manager of Volunteer Link Up, said the furniture was probably secondhand when they bought it, and that was back in 1983.

She said: “The money we received from the Gannett Foundation has made us look a lot more professional.

“We are very grateful to Gannett for the help we received and would urge other organisations to apply for a grant.”

Oxford Mail editor Simon O’Neill said charities were welcome to drop in their applications at any of the newspaper’s offices in the county because of the postal strike.

He added: “In these difficult times, with grant cash being squeezed and cut, this is a fantastic opportunity for charities to secure some much-needed cash.

“I would urge these organisations to take full advantage and with uncertainty over postal deliveries, we’ll be happy to receive the completed applications at our offices.”

l If you are going to deliver your application by hand at our district offices, please call beforehand. Our Didcot office is in Market Place, ph 01235 813417; Witney is at 47 Market Square, ph 01993 773133; and Bicester is at 50 Market Square, ph 01869 241436. Our Oxford office is at Newspaper House, Osney Mead.