During its 10th annual charity auction for Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice (CTH), independent vehicle auction house Shoreham Vehicle Auctions (SVA) has raised over £25,000 – bringing its total fundraising efforts for the charity, to date, to a staggering £181,523.
During a period of such unpredictability and disruption for businesses and charities nationwide, SVA had originally pledged its support to CTH by committing to donate £10,000 to the charity.
However, thanks to the generosity of the south coast’s motor trade including Frosts4Cars, Yeomans, and Tates who all donated cars as well as local independent dealers who made pledges on care packages the total raised for the charity during this year’s online event exceeded £25,000 in total.
Held online due to Lockdown 2.0 restrictions, the revamped format saw dealers pledge 60 hours of hydrotherapy, 42 sessions of a multi-sensory experience and 10 hours of care at Chestnut Treen House.
Catherine Stone, SVA’s business development manager who has led the campaign since SVA began supporting the charity in 2011, said, “This was our 10th year of supporting Chestnut Tree House, and despite extremely challenging circumstances for all, we weren’t about to abandon our goals. We were blown away by the support which has been shown to CTH in its hour of need.
“We were pleased to be able to put our skills of conducting remote auctions to use at a time when needed the most and truly could not have asked for any more amazing support. Surpassing £25,000 during such a challenging year really does highlight the generosity and resilience of the automotive trade.
“We’d like to thank all of our suppliers and those who contributed towards achieving such a significant fundraising total.”
It has been estimated that charities across the UK such as Arundel-based CTH face a £12.4bn shortfall in income during 2020 with most fundraising opportunities cancelled throughout the year.
Sarah Colbourne, head of fundraising at Chestnut Tree House said, “On behalf of everyone at Chestnut Tree House, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone at Shoreham Vehicle Auctions for raising an incredible £25,000 – more than enough to pay for three days of care at Chestnut Tree House – where families will receive specialist care and symptom management from our nursing team and, sadly, end of life care if it is needed.
“The pandemic has had a huge impact on our funding, as it has done on all charities – our fundraising income dropped by 70% when we had to close all our shops and all events were postponed or cancelled. Things are starting to improve now, but we still need our community’s support. Without people like SVA and those who supported their efforts, hospice care wouldn’t be possible. Thank you.”
Having first opened its doors in 2003, CTH currently cares for around 300 children and young people with life-shortening conditions, both at the hospice and in families’ own homes. The hospice offers several types of support, including respite breaks and end of life care, and psychological and bereavement support.
CTH care services cost in-excess of £4.6m each year. The hospice relies heavily on the generosity, help and support of local people and businesses, including the help received from the south coast motor trade.
*Article Source  www.nobullcomms.co.uk
