I WAS stunned this week to learn that a caring new group has lost funding over a little joke in their newsletter.

Four years after Atherton's Frances Raftery's husband died, she began to feel isolated, and thought other widows and widowers must be in the same boat.

So last July, she decided do do something about it, and formed Jigsaw -- to help put people's lives back together. It's been a phenomenal success.

Members have found new friends and new lives.

However, Frances was staggered this week to learn that her applications for a renewal grant for Leigh and a fresh one for a new Ashton branch had been turned down by social services, because of material in her self-written newsletter "which could offend certain sections of society."

Only those with no sense of humour!

Frances edits an informative, lively newsletter, which is distributed to more than 100 people to cheer them up -- and they love it.

I've read some myself and find the material both informative and amusing.

The ironic thing is if she hadn't included the letter with her grant application to show the wonderful and useful work the group does, she might have had the money.

No wonder members are incensed.

This new-found political correctness takes things a little bit too far.

I can understand the council not wanting to be seen distributing public funds to unsuitable groups, but the bereaved need a laugh.

So members, the only way you're going to get your much-needed funds is to accept a new newsletter without a titter.

Not really on is it?