Darlington Building Society’s Tubwell Row branch has helped to kit out Darlington 21st Allstars under 14’s football team.
The donation came from the branch’s Community Fund and paid for away kits for the Under-14s side.
Kerry Johnson, who is married to the club’s coach former Darlington Football Club player Steven Johnson, and whose 13-year old son Stevie plays for the team, approached Darlington Building Society for funding after hearing about similar donations.
Kerry said: “I decided to research ways of getting sponsorship for the kits and came across the Darlington Building Society Community Fund, which seemed ideal. They’d sponsored other community initiatives before including Darlington Football Club itself.
“I contacted them and they messaged straight back. It was literally four weeks from making an enquiry, getting the money through, and then receiving the finished kits.”
Kerry and Steven also have an 8-year old son called Oakley who plays for the Under-9s team. The new kit could, she says, last for years and be handed down in a year or two to the Under-12s.
Kerry added: “We’re delighted with the new kit, as are the kids who love it. The original kits were getting a bit too small for the team, so we looked for ways to raise money to afford new ones.
“We can’t thank Darlington Building Society enough for their help in sponsoring the new kits. It’s made a big difference to the team.”
Christopher Blewitt, Branch Manager at the Tubwell Row branch of Darlington Building Society, said: “Supporting our local communities is incredibly important to us as an organisation. We’re really happy to be able to donate the money needed to pay for the new kits. It’s great to hear that the youngsters love them and hopefully, it’ll help them go from strength to strength as a team.”