Community Champions fight for £10,000 share

TEN Teesside community champions have been selected to receive a share of £10,000 – but now face a public vote to decide just how much they will receive.
Dozens of local charities, community groups and schools applied for Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation’s Boro-backed £10,000 Goalden Giveaway.
A panel of the charity’s patrons have drawn up a shortlist of 10, who must now encourage their supporters to vote for them in a public poll on the Foundation’s official website at www.teessidecharity.org.uk.
The cause winning most votes will receive not only £2,500 but a visit from Boro boss Aitor Karanka.
The full list of Teesside causes selected for the public vote in the £10,000 Goalden Giveaway is:

• The Applegarth Centre at Guisborough’s Laurence Jackson School – to provide physical activities for children with autism at an after-school club and purchase sensory equipment.
• Child Deaf Youth Project – for support in running weekly North Ormesby youth clubs providing educational and social activities with deaf youth workers.
• Daisy Chain – providing Teesside activities for children with autism and respite for their families.
• Fresh Expressions – to support church youth group providing football, snooker, table tennis, air hockey, arts and crafts for 7-14 year-olds in Acklam and Linthorpe.
• The Friends of Sedgefield Harriers – towards building a new athletics track for athletes from Stockton, Hartlepool and Durham.
• Hartlepool Access Group – to cover cost providing a shopmobility scheme for people with disabilities and illnesses.
• Impact Fitness Zone – towards a new floor for charity providing affordable kickboxing, dance, fitness and Olympic weightlifting classes for people in South Bank, Grangetown, Eston and Middlesbrough.
• Middlesbrough Powerchair Football Club – to cover hire and transport costs to for powerchair football sessions in local schools for children and young people with severe physical disabilities.
• Teesside Samaritans – to expand activities and raise profile in local primary and secondary schools for service providing support for those in emotional distress.
• Volunteer Fulcrum – for specialist training for volunteers at a charity tackling the effects that substance misuse has people, children and families.

Supporters of the 10 finalists and members of the public now have an opportunity to vote via the charity’s official website www.teessidecharity.org.uk for the good cause they believe deserves the biggest share of the money.
The charity receiving most votes will receive £2,500 together with a visit from Boro manager Aitor Karanka.
The second-placed charity will receive £1,500 and those placed third to fifth £1,000. There’ll be £750 for the charities getting the sixth and seventh most votes and £500 for the remaining good causes.
The public vote opens this Friday, April 11 and runs through to midday on April 30.
The Goalden Giveaway panel featured Foundation trustees John McCullagh – the son of former Boro chairman Mike – Ian Tracey, Middlesbrough FC’s chief operating officer Mark Ellis and Foundation chairman Andy Preston.
Foundation chairman Andy Preston said: “Drawing up a shortlist from so many outstanding applications was incredibly tough. There are so many wonderful community projects across Teesside and it’s great to know that the Foundation will be giving 10 of them a significant boost.”
A similar £10,000 giveaway by the Foundation in December saw money shared between Redcar Development Trust, the Sea Cadets, Tees Valley Wheelchair Sports Club, Middlesbrough District Scouts, Freebrough Academy, MAIN (Taking Autism Personally), The Unicorn Centre Riding for the Disabled, Middlesbrough Disabled Supporters Association and South Cleveland Heart Fund.
Along with Boro and Steve Gibson’s Bulkhaul, the Philanthropic Foundation’s generous corporate patrons include Glanbia Nutritionals, AV Dawson, Active Financial Services, Devereux Transport, Evolution, Visualsoft, First Choice Labels, Endeavour Partnership, Macks Solicitors, SABIC, Unasys, Cleveland Cable Company, px Group, Cool Blue and Erimus Insurance Brokers.
Individual patrons along with Andy, Ian and the McCullagh family are Nigel Williams, Mark Bolland, Rob McLaughlin, Ali Miremadi, Steve Nichols, Barney Ord, Bill Scott, the Wadsworth family, Simon Scotchbrook and the Sizer Family.