CLARETS bosses have hailed the club’s charity arm after it raised more than £500,000 in its first year.

Burnley FC in the Community, launched last January, and has formed ties with almost 50 schools to deliver projects to more than 10,000 people in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale in just 12 months.

The club has revealed that it now plans to extend its work into Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and West Yorkshire after the successful launch.

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The charity now employs 20 people, who run programmes on sport and football development, health, social inclusion and education.

Another five full-time staff are set to start this month after the organisation ‘enjoyed unprecedented growth in all areas’, Lee Hoos said.

Mr Hoos, chairman of Burnley FC in the Community and chief executive officer of Burnley FC, said: “I am extremely pleased with the great strides we have made within Burnley FC in the Community in just one year.

“We believe in a strong, vibrant, socially responsible community engagement platform that makes a genuine difference to the people of Burnley. We look forward to continuing and growing the work that we have started.”

The community scheme engages with more than 100 disabled and 500 disadvantaged youngsters every week, and has ties with more than 40 primary schools and a further five secondary schools.

The department focuses on five themes; sports participation, education, health, social inclusion and cohesion and community facilities.

Neil Hart, head of Burnley FC in the Community, said it was ‘a story of incredible growth and remarkable achievement’.

He said: “We pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking charity with a true can-do attitude and I believe what we have achieved in the past year is a real reflection of that.

“We are celebrating a fantastic first year, but we have plenty of ambition to keep growing, to continue to make a positive impact in the local area and to have an even more successful 2015.”

Turf Moor bosses announced the formation of the charity last January, before Sean Dyche’s side won promotion to the Premier League.