SALE Sharks Community Trust has received a new minibus to support its community work.

It is now looking for a North West based business to sponsor the minibus to help with its ongoing running costs.

The minibus came with help from Barclays, who matched the money raised at a sporting legends fundraising dinner in February this year, when former England footballer John Barnes teamed up with Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, rugby league legend Paul Sculthorpe and former Sharks star Mark Cueto at the Innside Hotel in Manchester to support Sharks Community Trust programmes.

Jonny Acheson, executive director of the Sale Sharks Community Trust, said: “With help from our sporting legends, we raised enough money to purchase a minibus which will make a huge difference to our ability to deliver to a range of communities across the North West.

“There is now an opportunity for a business to associate their brand with the positive work the Trust is doing that has a real impact on the lives of people in the region.”

The February event raised more than £21,000 after guests spent an evening hearing from some of the young people who have benefited from the trust’s programmes.

The 200-strong audience also listened to anecdotes from the sporting legends about their career highlights – and some of the moments they were glad were not captured by TV cameras.

Matt Ryan, relationship director at Barclays Corporate in Manchester said: “We were delighted to be able to support the fundraising dinner in February. It’s fantastic that we managed to raise enough money to pay for this minibus.

“The Sharks Community Trust is something we are really proud to be involved with because we know what an impact it has had on people’s lives right across the North West.”

The trust provides education and employment support to around 200 disadvantaged young people each year, delivering activities to around 2,000 people with a disability and supports veterans through its Sharks Forces programme.