CHARITY fundraisers have condemned the award of lottery grants to businesses including Manchester United, ITV Granada and a Manchester legal firm.

The Manchester Evening News revealed on Friday how tens of thousands of pounds had been awarded to 41 north west businesses to improve the fitness of office staff.

They include a é45,000 grant to the law firm Halliwells to fund gym membership for staff, é30,000 over three years for yoga lessons at Old Trafford, and é15,000 towards a new gym at Granada's Quay Street headquarters.

All three businesses will also contribute their own money to the projects.

But the decision to award the grants by government agency Sport England has drawn an angry response from charity fundraisers.

Malcolm Boardman, 42, of Ashton under Lyne, who is planning a trek up Ben Nevis with his wife to raise funds for a hospice in Lancashire, said he was "disgusted" to hear of the lottery grants.

Payments

"I thought the lottery was for people who needed help and not to give money to multi-million pound businesses like Manchester United. Why should the lottery money go to them when they already have so much money?"

Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for the Ribble Valley, also condemned the payments.

He said: "When a number of good causes and charities get turned down for funding, the awarding of é30,000 to one of the richest football teams in the world ranks as one of the most obscene awards that the lottery has given out to date.

"The government should now intervene to ensure that awards from the lottery should only go to those organisations which cannot raise the funds for themselves."

A spokesman for Sport England said: "These investments form part of a targeted programme in the north west to encourage employers to put more emphasis on sport and physical activity.

"We cannot and should not discriminate against a firm based on whether it is perceived to be a wealthy organisation."

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