A NEW £5,000 fund to support local community groups and good causes has kicked off with a welcome donation to help keep schools’ football thriving.

Friendly society Tees Mutual’s Community Fund has decided to award donations, usually up to a maximum of £500, to give a helping hand to groups as diverse as youth theatres and dance troupes and from self-help organisations and bereavement services.

To launch the fund it has given special one-off sponsorship worth £700 to Cleveland Schools Football Association (CSFA), which faced the possibility of reducing the number of elite teams it runs after having its funding slashed.

CSFA was formed in 1974 and covers the Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland areas.

“Just like Tees Mutual, Cleveland Schools FA has served the whole of Teesside for many years, so it’s a perfect match for us to be associated with such a fantastic organisation,” said Tees Mutual chair Mark Brooks.