County paper brings pre-Christmas cheer to Pembrokeshire

12:21pm Tuesday 2nd December 2008

Three Pembrokeshire organisations received some pre-Christmas cheer thanks to the Western Telegraph's parent company this week.

Manorbier & Community District Community Association, Pembrokeshire Cancer Support and Phoenix Well Being Society all received cash boosts from the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of Gannett Co. Inc, the owner of Newsquest Media Group.

Manorbier & Community District Community Association received £1,872 to repair two pellet burning stoves in the Skrinkle Community Hall.

Four small convector heaters which the association had been using as a stop-gap had proved ineffective and extremely costly.

Association secretary Joan Stace was delighted with the award. She said: "All hall users will benefit by having a warm hall as its meeting place. It will be safe, cosy and environmentally friendly for all user groups, with constant controllable heat."

Pembrokeshire Cancer Support, based in Queen St, Pembroke Dock was successful in bagging a grant for £800.

Co-ordinator Lyn Neville said the money would be used to renovate and brighten up the rear of the cancer support centre.

"It has the potential to be a nice area for sitting outside in the summer, on warm days to get some fresh air and sunshine.

'The outdoor area would enable people to be able to relax and get some fresh air and, hopefully, leave their worries behind, even for a short time."

The £588 grant secured by the Phoenix Well Being Society will be used to buy a laptop computer to keep records on.

The charity provides a monthly lunch for elderly people and carers, along with day trips and an annual holiday.

Trustee Fund Raiser Percy Dixon explained: "The computer will allow committee members to exchange information and will provide a central point for records, rather than members using their own computers or paper records."

Western Telegraph editor Fiona Phillips said: "We are delighted that the Gannett Foundation has recognised the hard work that all three organisations put in to make a difference to people's lives in Pembrokeshire."