BOLTON Hospice will be able to buy new equipment for hundreds of patients — thanks to the charitable arm of the company which owns this newspaper.

The hospice received an £8,300 grant from the Gannett Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Gannett Co Inc., owner of Newsquest Media Group, whose titles include The Bolton News.

The grant will fund several items of equipment for Bolton Hospice Support Services (BHSS), which encompasses the hospice’s planned day therapy, outpatient clinics, therapy services and carers’ support.

BHSS patients include those who are diagnosed with a life-limiting illness but whose condition is under enough control for them to remain at home.

Up to 100 patients and carers pass through BHSS’s doors every week, 52 weeks per year.

Joyce Young, service lead for BHSS, said: “We are delighted to receive this grant from the Gannett Foundation.

“There is a common misconception that hospices only provide inpatient care, but in BHSS we care for around 500 patients a year through day therapy, outpatient clinics and our Hospice at Home service, providing important specialist care and support for those who don’t require admission as an inpatient.”

The grant from the Gannett Foundation will be spent on a new music system, new chairs and side tables, new furniture for the garden room and additional staff workstations.

Last year, there were 1,533 visits to the hospice’s day therapy and 565 outpatient clinic appointments were accessed.

It costs around £3.8 million a year to fund Bolton Hospice’s services for local people facing life-limiting illnesses and their families.

With less than £1 million provided in government funding, the hospice must raise over £2.8 million a year through fundraising and donations.

For more information about the hospice’s services or to find out how you can support their work, visit www.boltonhospice.org.uk or call 01204 663 066.

The Gannett Foundation awards money to support local projects and organisations and, in the past 10 years, has made grants in the UK alone totalling more than £4 million.

Priority is given to projects that bring lasting benefits to communities, including schemes for neighbourhood improvement and problem-solving, economic development, youth development, education and cultural creativity, help for the disadvantaged or disabled and environmental conservation.