AN orthodontic practice is marking ten years in business by donating to ten charities that have played a part in its development.

Queensway Orthodontics is donating to charities including Dementia Friends, Kidscape, Butterwick Hospice, Billingham Foodbank and Daisy Chain.

Dr Guy Deeming, who set up the business, said every three months they also visit Billingham Foodbank to deliver toothbrushes and toothpastes which are then used in packs to provide three days’ worth of emergency food and toiletries to people in crisis.

He said: “It has been a huge privilege to serve and look after patients in Billingham and Teesside over the last decade. In todays’ world, being part of a community seems much less important than it used to be. For this reason, one of the most important things to me and the Queensway team is working with local charities to help support their essential work in the community for a variety of causes. After all, without the support, kind words and loyalty of the local community, we would certainly not be here. Doing something to help – and continuing to do it – is just a small way of saying thank you.”

Tracey Wright, event manager at Daisy Chain, said, “It’s brilliant when businesses and organisations offer us their support as well as taking advantage of our training services to help them understand autism. Getting a real overview of what people on the autism spectrum need to help them can really help a business with their clients. We rely on our local organisations and community to support us so we can continue offering services both to them and families affected by autism.”