Generous savers at Darlington Building Society have given a tremendous cash boost to four local hospices.
It comes as the society's innovative Hospice Supporter savings account paid out its first annual bonus.
Under the terms of the account, 1pc of the average total balances held in all Hospice Supporter accounts throughout the year are paid to the region's four major hospices in the form of a cash bonus.
Representatives of the beneficiary hospices - St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington, Butterwick Hospice Care in Stockton, Teesside Hospice Care Foundation in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool and District Hospice - recently met up at Darlington Building Society's head office to collect their cheques of £510.51 each.
Earlier this year each hospice also received a cheque for £925 after Darlington Building Society donated 35p for each valid proxy vote form received prior to the society's annual general meeting.
Darlington Building Society's chief executive Peter Rowley said: "When we launched our Hospice Supporter Account in August last year we were pleased once again to be able to demonstrate our commitment to looking after local interests.
"This account has proved very popular with savers and almost 1,000 accounts have been opened already."
Jane Bradshaw, director of St Teresa's Hospice said: "The proposal of Darlington Building Society to launch the Hospice Supporter Account was a great idea and one that has already proved beneficial to the local hospice movement."
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