GLOUCESTERSHIRE Arthritis Trust (GAT) has given grants of over £35,000 to boost arthritis care in local hospitals.

Cirencester, Tetbury, the North Cotswolds hospital near Moreton-in-Marsh and the George Moore Community Clinic in Bourton-on-the-Water all shared grants of £9,000.

Announcing GAT’s financial results at the AGM treasurer Dylan Jenkins said: "Increased donations have meant we could help even more people.

“We have had fantastic local support from the Cirencester Golf Club, Waitrose, Octavia’s Bookshop, the Cirencester Choral Society as well as Tesco at Stow-on-the-Wold.

"Not forgetting amazing individuals like Mollie Wise in Bourton-on-the Water whose annual garden party raised £1,400 for GAT last year."

Dylan went on to say that GAT was proud to have provided medical equipment which means more than 2,000 people every year can have an operation which will help improve their mobility.

A total of 70,000 local people suffer from arthritis and not all of them are elderly. GAT trustees also gave Gloucestershire Royal Hospital a grant of more than £10,000 making it possible for surgeons to treat younger people in the early stages of hip arthritis.

Children too have benefitted by GAT funding more than £3,000 worth of child-sized physiotherapy equipment at the Gloucester Children’s Clinic.