WHEN you are a grassroots group fighting for every last penny, a windfall of any size is a fantastic boost.

Fiona Eadie and the team at Pollokshaws Area Network were over the moon when they landed a Gannett Foundation Grant of £1560.

“It was a fantastic bonus for us, as it allowed us to develop our community garden and cooking project,” explains Fiona. “Grants like this make a huge difference to groups like ours.”

The Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of our parent company, is once again looking for applications for grants to benefit good causes in the city.

The closing date for applications - October 18 - is fast approaching, so don’t waste any time getting your entry in to our offices.

The grants are part of Gannett’s UK-wide scheme, managed by the Quartet Community Foundation, to help projects in the areas where it sells newspapers. In the last 10 years, the Gannett Foundation has made grants totalling nearly £4million in the UK.

Last year, it awarded £28,000 to Glasgow groups.

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Simon Westrop, Trustee Chairman for Gannett Foundation UK, explained: “We value practical and creative projects that bring lasting benefits to the communities and neighbourhoods served by our newspapers and online audience. That includes schemes for neighbourhood improvement and local problem-solving, economic development, youth development, education and cultural enrichment, care of the elderly or infirm, help for the disadvantaged or disabled, and environmental conservation.”

Mr Westrop added: “Most of our applications are for relatively modest sums meeting everyday needs and that will be our special focus in 2019.”

PAN, based at The Hub on Shawbridge Street, was set up initially to help the hundreds of refugee and asylum-seeking families who had been housed in the area to settle in, just as regeneration work was getting underway.

The Hub is now a busy community centre with lots of activities and events on the go – everything from gardening sessions and a choir to yoga classes and coffee mornings. Local schools and nurseries come to visit regularly. There’s also a needlecraft group and a Men’s Shed, which tackles isolation and loneliness in older men.

Read more: Streets Ahead: Building up a community in Pollokshaws

Other Glasgow projects which benefitted last year included Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (West), which received £2000 towards the cost of communication booklets for people living with aphasia following a stroke; and youth charity YoMo (Glasgow), who received £4975 towards equipment and materials for a training room.

Applications must be submitted on the approved form, which can be obtained by emailing janice. bell@heraldandtimes.co.uk.

The completed form and any supporting documents should be sent electronically via e-mail to Janice by 12 noon on Friday, October 18.