Serving the Teesside Business Community | 55
CHAMPIONS!
Helen Wells Photography
Applied Integration are proud club sponsors of Cleveland Juniors.
“ Both lads have moved into good jobs that can become great careers. We want to drive the business in a way that gets people up to chartership, so we will continue to support Conner and Jordan to go as far as they want to go as engineers.”
Two further Applied Integration apprentices- Jack Gould and Hayden Cartwright – are now in their second years and continuing to enjoy day release from the firm to study at Hartlepool College. Gould is studying for a HNC in Instrumentation and Controls while Cartwright is focusing on an BTEC level 3 diploma in Engineering.
Lofthouse added:“ We’ re exposing Jack and Hayden to a wide range of tasks and a multitude of projects to give them every opportunity to enhance their skills. There are very good, well-paid jobs waiting for them if they continue to work hard and progress.”
Applied Integration have been hailed as“ community champions” by the junior football club they helped rescue from the scrapheap and build into one of Teesside’ s best sporting facilities for children.
Over the course of the last five or six years, the Stokesley firm has donated many thousands of pounds to Cleveland Juniors Football Club to transform the Middlesbrough outfit.
The club now runs numerous teams at all junior levels, has 350 members, boasts one of the most successful girls’ outfits in the region and runs a successful free academy that’ s open to all children, regardless of their financial status.
Club president Michelle Rush said:“ When I got involved with the club, it was a sinking ship. There was very little hope, the committee members were new and we needed help, both financially and with positive input.
“ Applied Integration gave us both, with director Garry Lofthouse playing an active role, attending meetings, helping with financial decisions and finances, as well as being our biggest fan!
“ Our girls’ team and academy have had such a boost thanks to Applied Integration. Garry is so passionate about girls’ football and has been an integral part of our success in girls’ football.”
Applied Integration launched their backing of Cleveland Juniors with a £ 10,000 donation to relieve mounting financial pressure on the club and help them build towards new facilities.
Since then, as club sponsors, the firm has continued to support a club affectionately known as‘ Clevo’ year after year, sponsoring the kit for the club’ s many teams and backing the annual tournaments.
“ Our entire facilities consisted of a Portaloo in a metal container, whilst we made do with second hand kits or bibs,” recalled Rush.
“ Now we have a state-of-the-art clubhouse, our kids are uniformed in magnificent kits – proudly sporting the Applied Integration logo- and we put on some of the best lads’ and girls’ tournaments around.
“ All of what we’ ve achieved would not have been possible without the support of Garry and his fellow directors at Applied Integration. And no matter how much they give, they are always trying to help more.”
Nearly 40 teams from across Teesside and the North-East entered this year’ s Applied Cup girls’ tournament at Cleveland Juniors’ ground at Mill Hill in Middlesbrough, while 85 teams from as far afield as Wales took part in the biggest ever boys’ tournament for the Applied Cup.
Rush added:“ Our tournaments are talked about as the best in the North-East but the reality is that, as a club, we do not have the finances or resources to make this happen.
“ Without the generous funding from Applied Integration, it simply would not happen!”
Lofthouse said:“ Our company has enjoyed much success since forming more than a decade ago but it’ s always been our belief that we should share some of that success with the local community.
“ Cleveland Juniors is a very special football club that gives sporting opportunities to kids of all abilities and financial backgrounds, promotes good health and fitness, and teaches young people life skills such as teamwork, time-keeping, reliability and much more.
“ We’ re incredibly proud to support Cleveland Juniors.”