Pictured above: (from left) are James Wilkinson (Church Army), Jenna Beasley and Gareth Downie (PPDG), Rev Sarah Schofield (All Saints Church), Kate Tilson, Lesley Ozwell and Kerry Barrs (PPDG clients)

A church which provides support to young footballers and their families are celebrating after receiving a £300 donation from generous workers at a West Midlands company.

All Saints Church, in All Saints Road, Wolverhampton, provides refreshments during matches for children who play for All Saints Football Club and their families who come to watch. The church also provides a chaplaincy presence to offer support to some of the families.

The church has received a donation of £300 from employees of employment experts Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG), which has centres across Birmingham and the West Midlands. The company has offices situated next door to the church in All Saints Road. PPDG operates a Give As You Earn (GAYE) scheme which each year donates thousands of pounds to charities and other good causes. Employees make a donation to the scheme each month.

The football team plays at Dixon Street playing fields and volunteers at the church attend on match days to provide refreshments and offer support. However, the weather can be challenging especially during the winter and the church wanted somewhere for people to shelter and to offer a focal point.

The money donated through the GAYE scheme will be used to pay for a mobile event shelter, trolley to carry the equipment, water carrier and furniture. Money will also be used to purchase volunteers clothing to identify them as church helpers.

The church was nominated for a donation by Lesley Ozwell, multi-functional trainer at PPDG in Wolverhampton. She said: "The church works so hard in our community. Volunteers do fantastic work with youngsters who play for All Saints Football Club and offer support to their families. Some of the players are from vulnerable backgrounds and are from one parent families who may need that extra support.

"We have our premises next door to the church and are aware the fantastic work they carry out. Staff at PPDG all voted unanimously to put the church forward for a GAYE donation and we are delighted to donate £300 which will go towards a shelter and equipment needed for the church to carry on its excellent work for the community."

Reverend Sarah Schofield, vicar at All Saints Church added: "We are absolutely delighted to receive the donation from PPDG. It will really help us to continue to reach out to the community in a supportive role. The equipment we purchase will enable us to create a focal point at football matches and other events to provide a chaplaincy service to our community.

"We want to be there as a listening ear for the parents. Some of our male volunteers are good role models for the lads who don't have positive male figures in their lives. It's a great project and really helps the church link up with the community but also helps some of the more isolated children and parents."

PPDG's team of employment experts provides advice on benefits, confidence building, one-to-one support, CV and interview preparation as well as finding the right job or training course. In partnership with DWP, the Ministry of Justice and Jobcentre Plus, PPDG delivers a diverse range of employment and training initiatives including Flexible New Deal, Working Neighbourhoods Fund, Learndirect and many ESF funded programmes. PPDG came fourth in The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For 2011.

For more information about Pertemps People Development Group, please visit their website here: www.ppdg.co.uk