TWO charities in the region have received £3,000 donated by a group of journalists.

Trust funds in North Yorkshire and Teesside will benefit from the shared amount handed over by the Northern Group of Motor Writers.

The money has lifted the Rosie Henry Trust Fund, in Northallerton, beyond £50,000 in a year. The charity helps the five-year-old daughter of a North Yorkshire firefighter - who suffers from a life-limiting neuro-degenerative condition - to enjoy the best quality of life possible.

"Everyone has been most generous in the support they have given. We know that she will be able to have the best that money can buy to make an important difference to her life," said her mother Diane Henry.

The second £1,500 donation was given to the Teesside-based Katie Trust. It was founded in May 1999 in memory of six-year-old Redcar schoolgirl Katie Neal, who died from a rare form of cancer.

Her father, Martin Neal, said that the fund is financing research work to find a cure for the cancer.

The motoring journalists raised the money from a raffle and auction, held at their annual gala dinner at Redworth Hall, County Durham. The cheques were presented to both charities by Bill Duckworth, the writers' group chairman.