A CUMBRIAN law firm has pledged its support for a leading women’s football team in the county for the ninth consecutive season.
Bendles Solicitors has built a strong relationship with Carlisle United Ladies FC over the years, having first sponsored them in 2016 when a staff member’s daughter played for the team.
Now the firm has extended its sponsorship for another year as part of its commitment to supporting the local community.
Hannah Smith, Partner at Bendles Solicitors, said: “We’re passionate about engaging with the local community, helping women’s football to grow and continuing the momentum of recent success for women’s football in England.
“As a Cumbrian-based firm, supporting community initiatives is central to everything we do, and we hope that our continued support will help to grow recognition of Carlisle United Ladies both in the local area and beyond.”
Bendles began as a family firm over 200 years ago and now has offices in Carlisle, Wigton and Whitehaven. The firm supports charities and organisations across the county, with staff members encouraged to get involved with fundraising activities.
Tracy Gannon, Manager of Carlisle United Ladies, has been a football coach throughout Cumbria for over 35 years.
She said: “Bendles have supported us for a long time now and their principles about supporting their community align with ours.
“In a time when most funding is focused on junior football, the backing of local businesses is essential for keeping adult teams thriving. Support like this doesn’t just help us compete, it keeps the heart of community football beating.
“The fact that a large company like Bendles believes in us will hopefully encourage other local businesses to get on board and want to be a part of what we do.”
Over the years, Bendles has joined in with training nights with the squad and hosted a pizza party to watch the Lionesses in the Euros.
Carlisle United Ladies are currently in the Premiership Division of the Lancashire County Women’s League, and this season have welcomed seven new players from the development team into the first team squad.
Tracy said: “We’ve moved some of the girls up from the development team, so the squad is now made up of quite a lot of younger players this year.
“This is a big learning curve for them, so they’re still finding their feet. I’m looking forward to seeing them develop as the season progresses and watching them grow and adapt to the big step up from junior to senior football.”
