FOUR charities that work across the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire have

received a New Year boost after being chosen to share a £14,000 donation.

Newcastle Building Society has awarded grants of £4,000 to Little Sprouts Health and Wellbeing in Yarm and to Harbour Support Services in Hartlepool, which works with families affected by domestic abuse.

The Darlington-based Tees Valley Young Men’s Christian Association and the Stokesley and District Community Care Association have also both been

awarded grants of £3,000 to help them meet the cost of continuing to provide their various services in the current challenging climate.

These latest donations are part of an overall £1.5m of community commitment that is being delivered by the Society to help the region manage and recover from the impact of Covid-19.

Carrieanne Wilford, manager at Newcastle Building Society's Yarm branch, said: “These charities have all had to deal with hugely demanding situations that they could barely have imagined 12 months ago, and the lengths to which they’ve all gone to help local people in need have been hugely impressive.

“Their commitment to improving the well-being of their communities mirrors our own, and we’re honoured to be able to support their invaluable work.”

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Society also made a £100,000 contribution to the Coronavirus Response and Recovery Fund set up by the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland.