A fund set up to mark the 150th birthday of the Wiltshire Times has awarded cash to a pre-school for disabled children and a project run by Age Concern.

Grants of £100 have been awarded to both Stepping Stones Opportunity Group in Trowbridge and Age Concern based in Devizes, through The Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon, which looks after the fund on the newspaper’s behalf.

Jackie Chisling, fundraiser for Stepping Stones, said the grant would be put towards the salaries of two play assistants to help out at two weekly sessions for children under three years old, who have conditions ranging from Down’s Syndrome to epilepsy. About ten children attend each session.

She said the children take part in signing and music sessions as well as spend time in the pre-school’s sensory room and playroom, depending on each child’s needs.

“With some children we try and encourage them to pick up a toy for example, as we are trying to develop their hand and eye co-ordination,” she said.

“Children here have a huge spectrum of needs. Some have behavioural difficulties while some have complex needs which don’t have a diagnosis.

“We are very grateful for the money as there are very few charitable trusts that like to fund salaries or running costs. Every little bit helps.”

The pre-school is two-thirds funded by Wiltshire County Council but needs to raise at least £40,000-a-year to run the nine sessions it does at the moment.

Age Concern in Wiltshire, which we are helping to raise £60,000 to mark the charity’s 60th anniversary, said the grant would help run their gardening enterprise scheme.

The charity uses 27 part-time gardeners to tend to the gardens of elderly people who cannot manage to do the work themselves.

The service, which costs £110,000 a year to run, for which the elderly client pays £13.50-an-hour, is now in its third year.

Alan Truscott, the social enterprise manager, said they carry out even the smallest of jobs for their clients, who hear about the service through their GP surgeries, Wiltshire County Council, luncheon clubs and day centres.

He said: “I have one elderly gentleman who all we do for each year is put up his bean poles in his garden and take them down each autumn as he can no longer tie knots.

The service helps about 170 people in the county each year. For details of the gardening service call 01380 727767.