Over £3M has been given by Newsquest over the last ten years.

This year, hundreds of applications were received for charitable grants.

Five trustees chose those that would deliver practical benefits to communities served by any of Newsquest's local news brands.

Grants of over £18, 000 were awarded to young homeless people in Bolton, Blackburn, and Bracknell.

£25, 000 was given to hospices caring for patients with life-limiting illnesses; a cause which has received grants in previous years from Newsquest.

The Scouts recieved £15, 000 to buy tents for outdoor pursuits, and for urgent repairs to Scout huts across the country.

Sporting activities were highlighted by Newsquest this year, with £15, 000 in total being awarded around the country.

£15, 000 was also given to the Journalists Charity and Newstraid, which aims to offer help to those who have worked within the newspaper industry but have since fallen on hard times.

Chairman of the trustees, Simon Westrop, said: “Experience has taught us that real benefits are more likely to be delivered by smaller, well-defined and well-targeted donations.

“So we tend to like simple things we can understand and which deliver obvious and immediate improvements to people’s lives. This year, the two tumble dryers for a night shelter for homeless people in Lancashire are a good illustration of what I mean.

“We are still interested in joining with other donors in big projects as well, but usually we will want to make sure that the majority of funding is in place before we participate, rather than seeing the project left unfinished.”