Newsquest daily The Northern Echo has invested £10,000 to help save Darlington Football Club from being liquidated.
The paper reports the money will be used to buy shares in Darlington FC 1883 Ltd, a new company that hopes to purchase the club.
Editor Peter Barron said:
The paper has been at the heart of the campaign to save Darlington Football Club from the outset and we have decided to make this investment as a further demonstration of our support.
These are challenging economic times for all businesses and we recognise the sensitivities of making this investment. However, as Darlington’s local paper, we felt it was something we had to do. Darlington Football Club is an important part of our business, supporting sales of the paper, and it is an investment on behalf of our readers.
The £10,000 will be split over the three phases of the appeal and I sincerely hope we get that far. It certainly won’t be for the lack of effort.
Darlington MP Jenny Chapman said:
It is fantastic that The Northern Echo is showing such support for the appeal in these difficult times. I’m sure it will be appreciated by everyone associated with the club and I hope other companies feel they are able to follow suit.
The investment will be made by Newsquest (Yorkshire & North-East) Ltd, publishers of The Northern Echo, Darlington and Stockton Times and Advertiser series.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog