A CHARITY has thanked an anonymous donor who has handed it thousands of pounds - enabling it to continue taking pensioners on outings.

Jan Hunter, finance and administration officer at Age UK's York branch, says the well-wisher has made a donation every March for the past three years.

She said a banker's draft was posted through the letter box of the charity's HQ in Walmgate at the end of March each year, with the most recent draft arriving last weekend.

She said the first donation was £1,000, but last year the donor gave £2,000 and now another £2,000 has been received.

"We are extremely grateful for these donations but, because they are made anonymously, are unable to write to the donor to thank them and assure them that the money will be put to good use and so would like to thank them through The Press," she said.

"The money will be put to a very good use, as it will help ensure we can continue to take parties of elderly people out on trips in our minibus, to the coast and so on, who wouldn't otherwise be able to get out."

She said the donations came at a time when the charity was facing increasing demand for its services, which was not matched by any corresponding increase in official funding.

She had no idea why the donations were always made at this time of year, but wondered if it might be because it was the end of the tax year or possibly because it coincided with the anniversary of someone's death.

She said Age UK helped hundreds of elderly people across the York area in a variety of ways, including running day clubs and dementia clubs, providing a befriending service and helping people to buy grocery items online for home delivery.