A MENTAL health charity has been given a £250 donation by a building society.

STAMP Revisited, which provides help for people affected by mental health difficulties in Teesside, received the funding from Darlington Building Society's community fund, which helps local charities and community projects.

The cash will help STAMP with its advocacy services as well as training volunteers.

Claire Mason, who works at the Middlesbrough branch of the building society, said she had chosen STAMP because a customer had been helped by the charity through a difficult time.

She said: “After we looked up the charity we discovered how hard they work with little fanfare. They offer excellent services with little recognition or support, so it seemed to us like they deserved a helping hand.”

Ian MacFarlane, Project Manager for STAMP Revisited, said: “Mental illness is different to other illnesses. If you have broken leg then everyone can see your cast, but if you have broken mind, no one can see that.

"It’s important that we are in a position to be able to help those people get back on track and provide them with the tools to be able to help themselves.”