CHARITIES and community organisations across Oxfordshire benefitted from almost £22,000 in grant funding last year from the Gannett Foundation, as applications for this year's funding open.

The Oxford Mail’s parent company Gannett Media has this week begun its search for local good causes who could be awarded a funding boost of up to £10,000.

Those that benefitted last year have been explaining just how the money has helped their organisation.

Last year Rehabilitation Services Trust for Oxfordshire, known as Restore, was given £4,660 to buy a potting shed for its East Oxford site.

Restore head of external relations Tom Hayes said the new shed at The Beehive in Manzil Way which is now nearing completion and had made a massive difference to the charity's day to day operations.

He said: “It’s provided a place for us to safely to store gardening equipment which in turn has freed up space in the adjacent Straw Bale House, which we can now rent out to other community groups.

“It provides potting and planting space, which is really is important in all weathers and seasons, because it means people can go in and really crack on with whatever they’re working on.

“And thirdly it’s just a really nice new addition, it’s a really pretty shed, it fits in so well.”

Mr Hayes is now urging other organisations to apply for a slice of the funding.

He said: “Charities are often stuck for time, but they shouldn’t be deterred from applying, the application is a really simple process.

“Plus the sum of money you can apply for can make a real difference especially if there’s a specific thing you want to fund."

Another local charity to benefit from the cash windfall was Headway Oxfordshire, which was awarded £7,250 will buy three pieces of specialist neuro physiotherapy gym equipment for its Activity and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Kennington.

Operations manager Charlotte Carlisle said: "The new equipment has made a huge difference to us, allowing more people to access the physio that they need."

For an application form email samantha.harman@newsquest.co.uk

The completed form and supporting document should be emailed back to the same address by 5pm on Monday, October 8.