A CHARITY helping families affected by autism has had its green credentials boosted with the gift of an electric car.

The team at Teesside’s Daisy Chain can go about their work in an environmentally-friendly manner after being given a liveried Smart Car by companies working together to support the charity.

During a year of fundraising for Daisy Chain, staff at Mercedes-Benz and SMART have taken part in a variety of activities, from sky-diving to boat racing.

Their generous gift of a Smart Electric Drive was met with joy from Daisy Chain’s chief executive Stuart Dexter.

Mr Dexter said: “This is a remarkable way of supporting us. We are over the moon Mercedes-Benz Teesside has been able to get involved with us in so many ways.

“We will be able to use the car to attend community events, when we visit schools and organisations and at fundraising activities. It will be fantastic way of raising the profile of Daisy Chain, we will be very visible.”

Jeremy Simpson, head of business at Mercedes-Benz Teesside, said: “It is important to us as a company that we are involved with our communities and Daisy Chain is a stand-out local charity providing incredible support to families in the region affected by autism.

“We were delighted to see first-hand the work that is undertaken and myself and all the staff were inspired to try and offer as much help and support as possible.”