South Shields FC chairman Geoff Thompson's gives club foundation a £100,000 helping hand

The foundation works with more than 250 children on a weekly basis

The donation is the latest Geoff Thompson has made over the last four years to the South Shields FC Foundation, which delivers around £1million worth of social and community work each year across a range of health and well-being activities.

In July, it formed a partnership with Harton and Westoe Miners Welfare to secure the future of the Welfare.

It runs 20 junior football teams and a number of community-based programmes for children including its flagship 'Thinkers and Movers' programme for three to five-year-olds, 'Mini Mariners' for five and six-year-olds, and its most recent addition, the Friday night 'Skills School' delivered by some of the first-team players.

And its schools programme is now entering its second year and is fully booked.

Foundation head Steve Camm said: "We are obviously absolutely delighted with the generous donation.

"It will help us to continue to grow and develop the work of the Foundation and further increase our social and community impact.

"The Foundation is a registered charity but we are absolutely determined to be self financing through the activities we deliver and this donation will ensure that we can invest in the things we need to guarantee that.

"Geoff has always been a supporter of the Foundation and its work. It is consistent with his values and determination to invest in the club and the town.

"His generosity will benefit hundreds of people locally and help us to thrive as a community-based charitable foundation. We are incredibly humbled by the generous donation."

Geoff Thompson said: "The growth and development of the Foundation over the last two years has been exponential, in parallel with the progression of the first-team and academies and consistent with our ambition to create a Football League-ready community club that the whole town can be proud of.

"The Foundation creates about £11 worth of social and community impact for local people for every £1 it spends and has an important role to play in ensuring we make a significant contribution to the local economy and local peoples' health and well-being."