Four of the area’s most deserving charitable causes can look forward to a brighter 2015 after being guaranteed cash donations by the Watford Observer. 

Peace Hospice Care and Watford Mencap will be in a position to buy life-changing new equipment in the New Year thanks to a combined donation of almost £16,000 which has been pledged by the newspaper’s Gannett Foundation. 

And the young people’s counselling service, Signpost, is celebrating too, after receiving a cheque for £2,400, raised during the newspaper’s fun day in Bushey in July.  

Watford General Hospital’s Starfish children’s ward is also set to benefit from donations made at the newspaper’s Christmas grotto. 

The Peace Hospice will use the Observer’s donation of £9,828 to buy three remote controlled, complete tilt beds and mattresses for the inpatient unit at the Peace Hospice in Rickmansworth Road, Watford. 

The Peace aims to replace all 12 beds in the unit in 2015 as the current ones are getting old.  

Many patients are confined to bed for most, if not all, of the day so new beds and mattresses will make an enormous difference.

Up to date airflow and pressure-relieving mattresses will also help prevent bedsores, an increasingly prevalent problem for patients. 

Hospice chief executive Sue Plummer said: "We are delighted to receive this award. "The new beds will make a huge difference to the overall comfort of our patients and the new features on the beds will also help to better support our nursing staff in more ways.  

"I would like to thank the Gannett Foundation for this generous award which is going to hugely benefit our patients."   

Watford Mencap is to receive £6,000 to buy a "Migloo". 

The Migloo gives people with profound and multiple learning disabilities access to portable changing and toilet facilities, wherever they go.  

The Migloo is a complete kit consisting of a lifting beam, a hoist, supporting legs for the beam and a sturdy and private awning that can be attached to a vehicle or stand freely.

It will be used at community events and fairs and help maintain the dignity of Mencap clients. 

Watford Mencap fundraising manager Carol Tunstall said: "We are so grateful to the Watford Observer for the award. "The Migloo will open up a range of new opportunities to a group of vulnerable people in south west Hertfordshire who are often excluded and extremely isolated due to their personal care needs. Thank you so much Watford Observer!" 

Following the staff donation to Signpost, William Allen, director of operations at the charity, said: "We are delighted with the support we have had from the Watford Observer for young people in the area and for the positive publicity and increased awareness we have enjoyed as a result of the newspaper’s backing." He said the money will go towards the charity’s annual running costs. 

The Watford Observer’s Christ-mas grotto at Bushey Sports Club also raised £170 for Starfish ward at Watford General Hospital, which will be presented in the New Year.  

Group editor Peter Wilson-Leary said: "At this time of giving, it is wonderful for the Watford Observer, the newspaper at the heart of the community, to be in a position to make these donations and to help make a little difference to people’s lives."