A LOCAL college has come to the aid of a North-East charity by agreeing to sponsor all 8,000 envelopes for its 2001 Christmas cards sales.

Redcar and Cleveland College is helping the Katie Trust, which is based in Redcar, and was set up after six-year-old local girl Katie Neal died from a brain tumour almost three years ago.

The college's help means that a maximum 30p from each card will go to help children with brain tumours in the North-East and Cumbria, and will help fund further research into childhood meduallablastoma tumours. So far, the charity has raised more than £57,000.

The eight cards have all been designed by children and have been printed free of charge by Vision Press in Middlesbrough.

College principal Alan Old said: "Staff and students at the college have been proud to help raise money for this much-needed research. Katie's mother is a member of our staff and we have already been involved in several events to help them meet this target.

"We are very pleased to be able to sponsor the envelopes and buying charity cards is an extremely practical way of supporting this local charity, especially when you realise that 30p from every card sold will go straight into the research fund."

To find out where the cards are on sale, contact (01642) 477098