£20,000 sponsorship boost for Alnwick Town Football Club thanks to Thorburn Bros Ltd

A three year corporate deal has been agreed with Thorburn Bros Ltd, owned by Alnwick man Mick Thorburn.

Alan Lingwood, the club’s commercial manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted with Mick’s gesture. It means a huge amount to a club like ours.

“He was particularly keen to put something back into the local community for the kids.”

Thorburn Bros, a Newcastle-based haulage, ground clearance and vehicle hire firm, will be the shirt sponsor for the club’s 20-plus teams from the start of the 2019/20 season, all the way up from the under 7s to the first team in the Northern Alliance’s Premier Division.

Mick, who is also a director of AA Construction Utilities Ltd, has also kindly offered to be the main contractor for the ground clearance work at the club’s new facilities at Greensfield.

“He’s doing it at cost price which will save us around £12,000,” said Alan. “He’s a magnanimous man and we really appreciate his generosity.”

The £1.2million project includes a full-size floodlit pitch with synthetic surface, clubhouse and changing area.

Work on the £300,000 clubhouse is due to begin on July 29 and is scheduled for completion by November.

Planning permission for the project was granted by Northumberland County Council in June.

The facilities will also be used by the Duchess’s Community High School and will be available for other clubs and sports.

The club has raised over £640,000 and secured a £409,000 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund.

AA Construction Utilities is behind plans for a new car wash and cafe on the site of the former Northumberland County Council depot on the northern side of the Willowburn Trading Estate.

The council stopped using the facility around two years ago when the new Lionheart depot and fire station on the other side of the A1 was completed.

Two outline applications for housing on the site have previously been refused.