A DROP-IN centre for Blackburn teenagers will be given a face-lift thanks to a grant from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

Groundwork Blackburn, which is creating the centre in Higher Croft, is the latest project to benefit thanks to a £5,000 cheque from a charity set up by this newspaper's American parent company to benefit community organisations.

Walkers and ramblers will benefit too after the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue team was given £3,873 by the Gannett Foundation.

The money will be used to publish a safety guide for walkers and deliver it to every household in the Ribble Valley.

Groundwork will use the money to transform a building that will be used by local children. Garry Phillips, project manger for Higher Croft, said: "More than 200 young people will use the centre and the money from the Evening Telegraph will allow us to buy the materials we need to get the project up and running."

Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team member Paul Durham said they wanted to produce a safety guide for walkers before new legislation opened up large areas of our countryside.

New Right to Roam laws come into force later this year and Mr Durham, a member of the rescue team with more than 30 years experience, said there was a concern that the new rules would mean an increase in 999 calls.

That concern prompted the team to produce the safety guide, which the Gannett grant will fund.

"Not only does the pamphlet provide good advice on how to prepare for an outing," he said, "But it also recommends actions which will assist the emergency services in bringing help and assistance to those who need it."

Lancashire Evening Telegraph assistant editor Nick Nunn, said: "The Gannett Foundation has a marvellous record of aiding worthwhile community schemes both here and in the USA. It's great to be able to help local charities with such deserving projects as those of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team and Groundwork Blackburn."