The charitable arm of a regional publisher’s parent company has donated more than £9,000 to a south coast hospice.

Gannett, which owns Newsquest, has given £9,140 to The Martlets Hospice of Hove, in Sussex.

The hospice has spent the grant from the Gannett Foundation on two new specialist mattresses for in-patients.

The Martlets gives hospice care to people from Brighton and Hove both at home and as in-patients.

Newsquest Sussex managing director Dawn Sweeney, left, and Imelda Glackin of The Martlets

Dawn Sweeney, managing director of Newsquest Sussex, said: “We were delighted that The Martlets was chosen to be the beneficiary of the Gannett Foundation.”

The hospice is not NHS funded and offers a free service to those who need it, so requires millions of pounds a year to keep going.

The Gannett Foundation is a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co Inc, which supports non-profit making activities in the communities where Gannett works.