THE fans’ campaign to buy Darlington Football Club has been boosted by a £10,000 investment from The Northern Echo.

The money will be used to buy shares in new company, Darlington FC 1883 Ltd, which hopes to purchase the Quakers and prevent it from being liquidated.

The announcement came as the total invested in the club by fans passed £170,000.

Peter Barron, editor of The Northern Echo, said: "The paper has been at the heart of the campaign to save Darlington Football Club from the outset and we have decided to make this investment as a further demonstration of our support.

"These are challenging economic times for all businesses and we recognise the sensitivities of making this investment. However, as Darlington's local paper, we felt it was something we had to do. Darlington Football Club is an important part of our business, supporting sales of the paper, and it is an investment on behalf of our readers.

"The £10,000 will be split over the three phases of the appeal and I sincerely hope we get that far. It certainly won't be for the lack of effort."

Darlington MP Jenny Chapman said: "It is fantastic that The Northern Echo is showing such support for the appeal in these difficult times. I'm sure it will be appreciated by everyone associated with the club and I hope other companies feel they are able to follow suit."

Mark Maynell, of the campaign group Darlington FC 1883 Ltd, described The Northern Echo's announcement as "tremendous news".

The investment will be made by Newsquest (Yorkshire & North-East) Ltd, publishers of The Northern Echo, Darlington and Stockton Times and Advertiser series.