STOURBRIDGE’S heroic FA Cup success has had a big impact on children throughout Dudley borough after the football club donated £1,000 to two local charities.

As the Glassboys were one of the 32 non-league clubs to reach the first round of the historic cup this season, they were given a proportion of funds from the FA's Community Shield match to donate to charities of their choice.

The Amblecote outfit selected Clent-based Sunfield special school and Edward’s Trust as their recipients, with club representatives handing over cheques before the Glassboys’ final home league game against Nantwich Town last Saturday.

Andy Bullingham, Stourbridge FC’s vice chairman, said: “We have been lucky enough to receive money from the FA for five of the last eight years.

“As a club, it is important to us to fulfil our community role and fundraising for charity is a key part of this.

“Each year we help raise in the region of £15,000 for charity, with Mary Stevens Hospice quite often being a recipient, but we are delighted that we can extend our support to Sunfield and Edward’s Trust with this donation.”

Caroline Bell, principal of Sunfield, an independent residential special school which supports young people with complex learning needs including autism, said: “Generous contributions like this help ensure that we continue to be here for the children, young people and their families that need us most.

“In turn our students are able to succeed and flourish, often after experiences of being unable to thrive elsewhere.

“We’d like to thank the FA and the teams both on and off the pitch that make up Stourbridge FC.”

Edward’s Trust supports more than 600 bereaved children, young people and parents in the West Midlands and delivered almost 100 counselling sessions to family members from Stourbridge, Brierley Hill, Kingswinford and Halesowen in 2016.

Yvonne Gilligan, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Without the generosity of corporate supporters like Stourbridge FC, many families would not be able to access our bereavement support and we are incredibly grateful for this donation.”

The donation was collected on Edward’s Trust’s behalf by Kai Blakemore, a young boy and ambassador for the charity who lives in the area and has a special connection to both the trust and the football team, as his late brother Tom played for the youth team at Stourbridge.