COMMUNITY groups in areas served by Newsquest titles, including the Blackpool Citizen, will share in a near £1 million cash bonanza this year.

A total of £970,000 is available to worthy causes in the UK from the Gannett Foundation which is sponsored entirely by Newsquest's parent company, Gannett Inc.

The 2004 allocation will be distributed to community projects within the circulation area of Newsquest's 317 titles.

The sum represents an increase of nearly eight per cent on 2003 when £900,000 went to worthy causes in this country.

It brings the total amount awarded by the Gannett Foundation since it was established in Britain three years ago to nearly £2.5 million.

Newsquest publishes local and regional newspapers across the UK from Falmouth to Glasgow and Pembrokeshire to Essex.

All applications for grants are made through the local Newsquest title with more than 170 groups benefiting last year.

The grants are allocated twice a year, in March/April and again in December.

It is left to each local newspaper to establish its own priorities, depending on local needs and following guidelines laid down by the Gannett Foundation.

The Foundation supports projects which take a creative approach to fundamental issues such as education and neighbourhood improvements, youth development, cultural enrichment and support for disadvantaged people.

Margaret Strayton, Newsquest's group editorial manager and a trustee of the Gannett Foundation in the UK, said: "Priority is given to local community organisations for equipment or running costs of projects in the areas of help for homeless people, after-school activities for disadvantaged children, youth organisations and community safety initiatives.

"Like many donors, we receive many more requests than we can fund but we do help where we can make a lasting difference to people in the communities we serve."

Among the groups receiving grants in 2003 were:

Davis House Centre for homeless people in Wiltshire

Tredgar Town Band in Newport, South Wales

Bolton Bulls Wheelchair Basketball Club in Lancashire

Oxford Dyslexia Association

Vale Link Community Transport in Gloucestershire

Old Farmstead Arts Project in York

Nightstop, a shelter for homeless people in Southampton, Hampshire

British Institute for Brain Injured Children

"Our newspapers cover every size of community. The very nature of our newsgathering and reporting gives us a unique opportunity to encounter a broad spectrum of people who need a helping hand," she added.

"Reaching out to communities within communities and embracing our differences is the hallmark of the Gannett Foundation.