A charitable trust in West Sussex has donated its final gift of over £103,000 to its local independent Age UK, as funding sources have dried up.

The Suzanne Green Charitable Trust was set up by seven directors of the West Sussex County Times newspaper after its owner passed away in 1988. It was set up to benefit aged people, providing grants to both individuals and charities providing facilities for the elderly. It donated £1.6m throughout its existance.

Help the Aged and Age Concern in Horsham joined forces in the recent national merger. As the main providers of assistance to the elderly in Horsham, the Trust provided £941,000 overall to the charities, which became Age UK Horsham.

In 2009 the Trust reported a fund balance of £275,611, and announced its intention to wind up the charity once this was exhausted, a process it estimated would take four years. Three years later the trustees have chosen to offer the final charitable funds of £103, 650 to Age UK Horsham, which were presented to the charity in the form of two cheques on Wednesday night (17 October).

The Trust's funds came solely from the estate of Suzanne Green, whose family were proprietors of the West Sussex County Times for more than 90 years.

Trust chairman Peter Lusher commented: "For more than 23 years the Trust has been helping elderly people across the Horsham district and we believe that the wishes of Mrs Green have been fulfilled. She had wanted her money to help elderly people who otherwise could not be assisted by government agencies, and the trustees have done their utmost to ensure that this has happened."

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