Walking Footballers Plot Euro Return

Ambitious walking footballers are making plans for a bigger and better European campaign after a donation from the Tees Mutual Community Fund helped them take part in two tournaments in Spain.

Tees Valley Walking Football Club played ten games during the week-long trip, proudly wearing shirts bearing the Tees Mutual logo as they came third in two competitions held on the Costa Blanca.

“The trip was a massive success, although the heat was horrendous, anything from 32 to 37 degrees,” said club chairman Andy Charlesworth.

“It was hard but the games were all played in the right spirit and it really was the experience of a lifetime.

“They’ve invited us back next May and we’re planning to take 14 players after taking nine this time.”

The club’s oldest player, 72-year-old John Strangeways, played every minute of every game during the tour.

Andy started the club in June 2017 and it’s been onwards and upwards ever since. Players range from 50 to 72 and several of them have recovered from heart attacks and undergone joint replacements.

There’s no running or physical contact allowed, but Andy says the sport is great for building up fitness.

“I have rheumatoid arthritis and haven’t had a tablet inside my body for two and a half years since I started playing the game,” he said. “I was nearly 18 stone and now I’m 15st 10lbs – that’s what it does for you.”

The game is growing rapidly and there are now several teams in the region including Grangetown, Redcar, Middlesbrough Fit, Peterlee, Scarborough, Richmond, Catterick and Northallerton.

Tees Valley Walking Football Club recently launched a women’s session and a mixed team lifted their first ever trophy when they were awarded the fair play award in a tournament at Eston’s Herlingshaw Centre during the summer.

The club hope to add more silverware to the cabinet when they host the third annual Taylor Wimpey Trophy on Sunday September 15.

Andy would welcome more players, especially men aged from 50 to 60 and women aged 35 and over for the ladies’ squad. Training takes place at Goals in Middlesbrough from 5.45pm until 7pm every Monday and Thursday. Call Andy on 07514 347702 for more information.

Tees Mutual began life as the Trade Union Friendly Collecting Society and was later renamed the Kensington before adopting its present name in 2017. It is owned by its 8,000 members throughout the TS postcode area and provides funeral savings policies, savings plans and income protection.

Click here for more details of the Tees Mutual Community Fund.

I took out my first policy years ago because my partner’s family were with Tees Mutual. My partner pays £24 a month for a policy that also covers my son and I pay £20 a month. It means you’re not leaving all your funeral debts to your family when you’re not here. My agent, Andrea, is fantastic.

Wendy Kirk

43, shop assistant, Thornaby

I’ve had a Whole of Life for years and I and took out a Savings Policy so my son will have something when I pass on and I also get some money back when I’m 60. I wouldn’t want to think of anyone leaving debts to me when they died, so I wouldn’t want to do it to my own family. I wish I’d started a policy years ago, but you don’t think about it when you’re younger.

Lorraine Goldup

52, Hemlington

My partner’s mam and dad were members and we heard about Tees Mutual through them. I’m getting older now and if anything happened to me, I wouldn’t want my family to have to pay for it. We’ve had no problems whatsoever and my agent, Perry, is sound. The main thing is that everything's taken care of if something happens to me.

Paul Grant

50, house-husband, Middlesbrough

If anything happens to me, my family wouldn’t be able to afford to pay to bury me. Years ago there were lots of insurance calling to the door, but Tees Mutual is the only firm still doing it now. Allison, my agent, is just like one of us and it’s handy having somebody coming to the house every week.

Carol Frost

69, Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough

My wife’s mother started a policy years ago and I decided I’d rather not leave big debts to my children and so I’d take one out myself. It’s not a very nice thing to leave for them to deal with, is it? I pay a fiver a week to make sure there’s enough to bury me when the time comes. They’ve been smashing and my caller is absolutely brilliant.

David Reed

63, Middlesbrough

We’d only had our policies for about 18 months when my wife Marion died suddenly, just a fortnight after we came back from holiday. She was only 53. Our collector, Alison, made everything as easy as possible. She brought the paperwork to the house and we got the cheque for £5,300 the next day. That made a huge difference because we knew we had the money to pay for Marion’s funeral service and burial. Our family were very pleased with how they looked after us.

Paul Bird

59, South Bank

Tees Mutual does not provide financial advice. If you are in any doubt as to whether a policy is suitable for you, you should contact an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) for advice. An IFA may charge for providing such advice and you should confirm any cost beforehand. We are covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service, whose website address is www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.

Tees Mutual is a trading name of The Kensington Friendly Collecting Society Limited, which is an incorporated Friendly Society under the 1992 Friendly Societies Act No. 79COL. KFCSL is Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. KFCSL’s Financial Services Register number is 110058.

The registered address of Tees Mutual and its subsidiary, Tees Mutual Services Limited, is 1-3 Kensington Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, TS5 6AL.

Tees Mutual, 1-3 Kensington Road, Middlesbrough SE16 3QT +441642850022 enquiries@teesmutual.co.uk