AN award-winning Bolton business is offering free football shirts to local school seven-a-side teams.

Ian Fisher, the founder and owner of 10ticks.co.uk, an online mathematics educational resource provider, won the "e-business of the Year" award at the prestigious North Manchester Business Awards earlier this month, and with it came with a cheque for £2,000.

Now Ian has decided to invest in the community by using the cash to buy 31 sets of football shirts, which he will be giving away, to junior schools in Bolton. "It was a way of giving something back," said Ian, from the 10ticks.com office at the Bolton Enterprise Centre. "We had budgeted for development, so the money was a bonus we had not expected.

The company produces maths workbooks and CDs, which are used to complement online games and exercises written in-house. The exercises all tie in with National Curri cculum requirement, and are used by children to develop their maths abilities.

There are 31 sets of nine shirts - enough for a seven a side team - which he is planning to give away.

He said: "The person who calls must be a teacher from the Bolton junior school in question, and it will be strictly first-come-first-served.

"There are enough for 31 schools to have a set each."

Interested schools can call Ian at 10ticks.co.uk on 01204 405341.