STAFF at Darlington Building Society have adopted St Teresa's Hospice as their nominated charity.

The building society is already a corporate patron of the hospice and now the staff have pledged their support to the Giving to Life campaign.

The campaign, backed by The Northern Echo, is raising money for a six-bed full-time care unit at the hospice's Woodland Road site. Staff at Darlington Building Society's head office and its 13 branches across the North-East will be arranging fundraising events throughout the year in support of the appeal.

Hospice director Jane Bradshaw presented Darlington Building Society chief executive Peter Rowley with an adoption certificate to mark the new relationship.