THE fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone has been given a big boost by the Gannett Foundation UK – the charitable arm of The Gazette’s parent company.

A £20,000 grant has been awarded to support the work of Basingstoke nurse Natalie Mounter and the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership. The money will be used to buy equipment and support the country’s under-pressure health system.

Natalie said: “I was so happy to hear about the award of a grant from the Gannett Foundation. This significant contribution will have a very meaningful impact on the Ebola response in Sierra Leone and the work of King’s Sierra Leone Partnership.

“I am looking forward to ensuring that the money is used in a way that provides long-term support to the health system in Sierra Leone, so that an outbreak like this will never happen again.”

As part of the grant, Natalie will write updates on her experience, for The Gazette’s website, basingstokegazette.co.uk.

The Gannett Foundation is the charitable arm of Gannett, the parent company of Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK’s largest publishers and the owner of Gazette Newspapers. The Foundation provides funding to registered charities, in the areas where Newsquest has local newspapers and websites.

In making the award to Natalie and her colleagues, the trustees said: “The trustees exercised their discretion to make an unusual, but significant, grant in support of the work of Natalie and her colleagues.

“The award of £20,000 was made in view of the urgency of the plight of the people of Sierra Leone, and in recognition of the bravery of Natalie and others like her.”