Charitable groups in areas served by Newsquest titles are to get an early Christmas present, with more than £300,000 handed out by The Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the publisher's American owners.

Grants are made twice a year to groups who apply for cash help through their local Newsquest newspaper, and organisations from Falmouth to Scotland have been chosen receive funding for a range of projects.

Those receiving a share of the cash this time include Piccadilly Garden in Lancaster, which provides day services for people with learning disabilities, which will use its money to fund the replacement of an old building, and Flackwell Heath and Loudwater Age Concern in Buckinghamshire, which will spend its money on a mini-bus.

Bury Shopmobility will also receive a grant to buy a wheelchair for shoppers with disabilities, and The Royal National Institute for the Deaf in Basildon is to use its cash to create a sensory garden for deaf people with learning disabilities.

The Gannett Foundation supports projects that take a creative approach to fundamental issues, such as neighbourhood improvements, youth development, cultural enrichment and support for disadvantaged people.

During the past five years the Gannett Foundation has donated more than $5m to more than 700 charitable groups across Newsquest's circulation area.