Member Article

Darlington Building Society Helps Make Disabled Children Smile

Darlington Building Society’s Barnard Castle branch has given a donation to a charity that assists disabled and disadvantaged children to get involved in sport.

A total of £350 was raised by the branch’s staff and customers for the ‘A Smile for A Child’ charity.

A donation of £250 came from the Darlington Building Society Community Fund, an initiative which enables each of the building society’s branches support a local charity. Another £100 was raised by staff and customers as a result of holding a ‘name the bear’ competition and raffling a Christmas hamper.

‘A Smile for A Child’ provides grants for disabled and disadvantaged children, to allow them to participate and progress in sport. This can be to a club, an organisation or to an individual child where a normal route into sport has not been possible to take.

The funds that the charity receives can be used for anything from a specialist sports wheelchair for a disabled child to sporting equipment for a club or organisation.

Barnard Castle branch Manager, Laura Sowerby, said: “A Smile for A Child is a wonderful charity that does admirable work in helping children gain access to sport. We could not think of a more deserving charity to which our share of the Darlington Building Society Community Fund should be donated.

“The customers have been extremely generous and willing to get involved in the ‘name the bear’ contest and the hamper raffle, once again showing that everyone involved in Darlington Building Society is passionate about looking after local interests and raising money for good causes.”

Darlington Building Society became aware of ‘A Smile for A Child’ after it was approached by the charity’s founder, Christopher Read, who is also a customer.

Mr Read said: “We are extremely grateful for the donation from Darlington Building Society. As a Barnard Castle based charity, it is wonderful to get recognition from so close to home.”

Christopher’s daughter, Lauren Read, was selected to carry the Olympic torch last summer in recognition for her fundraising efforts for the charity. More than £10,000 has since been raised from members of the public donating to have their photograph taken alongside her torch.

Mr Read, who set up the charity three years ago, added: “Helping disabled and disadvantaged children is extremely rewarding. We are constantly organising fundraising events and charity collections, but it is all made worthwhile when we are able to assist a child to get involved in sport.”

More information on the charity can be found at: www.asmileforachild.org

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