Albion reveal charity partners for 2014/15 season

Brighton and Hove Albion have announced a pair of new charity partners for this season - Autism Sussex and Off the Fence.

The Seagulls already run the hugely successful Albion in the Community charity, which helps thousands of people across Sussex each year through a myriad of schemes, including sport sessions for disabled people, healthy eating projects and work with local schools.

And the Albion already work closely with a number of national and local charities, including the Royal British Legion, Kick it Out, Football v Homophobia and Show Racism the Red Card.

The club have, however, decided to officially pair up with Autism Sussex and Off the Fence for the duration of the 2014/15 season in an effort to help them raise their profile and generate much-needed additional funds.

Paul Barber, the club's chief executive, explained: 'These are two very worthy local charities, doing fantastic work in the Sussex community.

'Throughout the season, we will be seeking to engage fans in ways that they can help both organisations - along with our own charitable arm Albion in the Community and other existing charity partners.'

Autism Sussex aims to enable people with an autistic spectrum condition to receive the help and specialist support services they and their families need.

It provides short breaks for children and young people including after-school clubs, Saturday clubs, school holidays and community- based activities '“ with a focus on inspiring youngsters to engage in a wide variety of activities.

Chris Board, Autism Sussex CEO, said: 'We are delighted to have been chosen by Brighton and Hove Albion. Working together will provide the opportunity to enable children and young people with autism to experience activities that would not usually be available.

'We also hope that this partnership will provide a platform to raise awareness of autism spectrum conditions and the impact this has on the children and their families.'

The second charity, Off the Fence, was established more than 17 years ago by local people with a vision to end poverty in all forms around the city of Brighton and Hove.

Working in some of the most deprived areas, with some of the city's most vulnerable individuals, the charity runs Antifreeze: one of the busiest homeless day centres in the city, providing life-saving support to local homeless people.

Paul Young, CEO and founder of the charity, said: 'Brighton and Hove is our passion and we have invested a lot to see it transformed for the better.

'We have also proved that anyone can make a massive difference to their community with careful planning - we started small and over the years we have been able to support thousands of people in need.'

To find out more about both charities, visit: www.offthefence.org.uk and www.autismsussex.org.uk.