THE Albion have chosen Chailey Heritage Foundation and Rise as the club’s two charity partners for the 2017/18 season.

The club will join forces with both charities over the course of the season, alongside its own charitable arm, Albion in the Community.

It will also continue to support a number of long-standing charity partners.

Chailey Heritage Foundation, near Lewes, is a pioneering charity providing education, care and transition services for children and young people with complex physical disabilities and health needs.

It is recognised as one of the country’s leading centres for children and young adults with neurological motor impairment such as cerebral palsy, and has a national reputation for its work supporting young people’s communication and developing independence through powered mobility.

The charity’s aim is to provide a stimulating environment where all young people have an opportunity to pursue their full potential.

Chailey Heritage development director Sally-Anne Murray said: “We are delighted to be together in the Premier League with Brighton and Hove Albion as their charity partner this season.

“With the club’s supporters behind us, together we can make a real difference to the lives of these young people with complex disabilities.”

Rise, which stands for Refuge, Information, Support and Education, is a national charity founded in 1994 and aims to help those affected by domestic abuse.

The charity, which has a branch in Ditchling Road, Brighton, offers practical help ranging from direct advice to refuge space to those in urgent need.

It works in schools to teach children about healthy relationships and broke new ground in its specialist LGBT service for survivors of domestic abuse.

Rise chief executive Jo Gough said: “It’s a real honour to partner with a football club which is committed to representing and caring for the interests of its supporters, using their position to change minds, especially during its hard won promotion into the Premier League.

“Brighton and Hove Albion play a hugely important role in the life of the city and the partnership will give Rise an important platform to both promote and fund our message of freedom from abuse and violence to everyone who comes into contact with the club.”

The club and Albion in the Community also work with other national and local charities on an ongoing basis.

These include the Royal British Legion, Tickets for Troops, Children in Need, Sport Relief, Sussex Heart Charity, the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance, Kick it Out, Football v Homophobia and Show Racism the Red Card.