SCHOOLS across a North-East town have spent a day fundraising to secure the future of their football club

Pupils at primary schools were urged to dress in blue and white and give donations to show their support for Hartlepool United.

Former Hartlepool midfielder Tommy Miller visited Holy Trinity Primary School in Seaton Carew to speak to the children and take part in a question and answer session.

Jonathon Bull, deputy headteacher at the school, said: “It is really important for us to get behind this fundraising campaign to help save Hartlepool United.

“We have a lot of kids at our school who are season ticket holders and play football, with some of them in the academy at Hartlepool.

“The club has a constant presence in Hartlepool – I can’t imagine the town without it.”

Throston Primary School raised more than £500 thanks to a non-uniform day and a raffle of a signed football.

Mark Atkinson, headteacher, said: “The main reason we got behind this is the club has always been very supportive with us – they have allowed our children to play on their ground.

“It was the children’s idea to do this – it was them who came to us and said we want to do a non-uniform day.

“They don’t understand the politics or the finances or paying the wages, they just go to the matches and they want to save their club.”

Stranton Primary School also held a blue and white day and put on a special Pools assembly.

Neil Nottingham, headteacher at the school, said: “I am a huge Pools fan, so I was always going to pass it onto the kids.

“For the last two seasons we have had a classroom at the stadium, and the children went down to do some English and maths, learning about finances and player wages, as well as some artwork.

“It is important for us to support the club – it plays such a vital role in the town.”

Hartlepool Borough Council is to waive town centre car parking charges on Saturday as part of the fundraising campaign.

It hopes that people who attend the match against Wrexham – and even those that don’t – will take advantage of the free offer and give what they would have spent on parking to an online appeal in aid of the club.

Christopher Akers-Belcher, the leader of the council, said: “All we are asking is that people using Council-managed town centre car parks and on-street pay and display parking donate what they would have paid in charges to the online appeal instead.”