Automotive industry charity BEN has appointed Peter Cottle as head of business development. Cottle spent ten years in retail banking prior to over 30 in the automotive industry, where he specialised in retail and wholesale finance. He has championed the work of BEN throughout his career.
Makita, the power tool manufacturer, has chosen Breast Cancer Care as its first charity of the year. Makita hopes to raise £50,000 to support people affected by breast cancer. The firm chose Breast Cancer Care for their first partnership after several staff members were affected by the disease.
Rob Northcott, head programmer at fast fit computer specialists Team Systems, has completed the demanding 50 mile Dartmoor Bicycle Challenge 2011 on a unicycle as part of a fund raising campaign for Cancer Research to support colleague Matt Bateman who is currently seriously ill with Hodgkin’s Lymphona.
The UK distributor for Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama has organised a charity rock concert to support the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. Yokohama HPT Ltd has covered the cost of the concert, so that 100 per cent of the proceeds will go directly to the appeal and support the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in March. The 'Sounds for Sendai' concert will take place on Sunday 22 May at the Marshall Amplification Theatre in Milton Keynes and will feature a stunning line-up headlined by the renowned Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash with support acts Stray and Motherlode.
Paul Goggins, Labour MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, has been awarded ‘Parliamentarian of the Month’ by road safety charity Brake and Direct Line. The award is said to have been presented in recognition of his efforts to raise the issue of regulation for heavy goods vehicle wheel safety in parliament.
In June 2010, Paul was approached by Motor Wheel Service because the firm was concerned about the lack of regulation to ensure the safety of second hand heavy goods vehicle wheels. They believe that there has been a rise of approximately 10,000 substandard second hand HGV wheels entering the UK market per year. Paul is concerned that there are no guarantees that these second hand wheels are safe because while tyres are heavily regulated to ensure they meet minimum standards of safety, wheels are not.
Taiwan based tyre maker Nankang Rubber Tire Corp. reports its management and employees raised two million yen (£15,000) for the Japan Red Cross in order to aid victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami. “After the March 11 earthquake hit, our eyes, hearts and browser windows have been trained on Japan,” Nankang commented in a press statement. “As one of global citizens, we just do our responsibility to express our deepest condolences to the suffered people.”
Rob Northcott, head programmer at Team Systems, will be competing in the Dartmoor Cycle 2011 event on 22 May in support of Cancer Research UK. The event is organised by the Firefighters Fighting Cancer campaign and Northcott will be taking part in support of his colleague Matt Bateman, customer support manager at Team who is seriously ill with Hodgkins Lymphona in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth and is currently receiving chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Olympic legend Denise Lewis met today with HiQ in her role as an Ambassador for Breast Cancer Care, Lewis extended thanks to HiQ and all its staff for their support. HiQ has supported Breast Cancer Care since 2009 in its first charity partnership and says it is on track to meet its fundraising target of £100,000 this year. HiQ says its staff have embraced the chance to don pink wigs and fundraise to help people affected by breast cancer. The money will be used to ensure Breast Cancer Care’s information and support services remain free to anyone who needs them.
National charity Environmental Protection UK has launched a campaign encouraging motorists to save money on fuel and reduce the environmental impact of their road journeys through choosing energy efficient, low noise and safe tyres. The Campaign for Better Tyres was officially launched by Transport Minister Norman Baker in London on March 29.
Automotive industry charity BEN has appointed Ray Diggins as its new head of marketing. Diggins has spent 30 years in the industry, with the last 20 as group marketing manager for two of the UK's largest motor groups. BEN says this appointment is “central to BEN's awareness-raising strategy” – Diggins’ primary focus will be on increasing the charity's visibility throughout the automotive and related industries and heightening understanding of the scope and scale of its work. He joined the team on 8 March and will be based at the charity's headquarters in Sunninghill, Ascot.
Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand have donated AU$100,000 (£62,000) to the New Zealand Red Cross Earthquake Appeal, a charity fund set up to assist those affected by the earthquake which struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch on February 22. The 6.3 magnitude quake caused significant loss of life and injury, as well as severely damaging buildings, infrastructure and services; Bridgestone Australia Ltd's group chairman and managing director Nobuyuki Mieno said the earthquake had "deeply affected the entire Bridgestone family.
HiQ has announced the relaunch of its Stafford centre after a radical £100,000 transformation. HiQ Stafford on Foregate Street has undergone an extensive refurbishment, with new branding, a new customer friendly environment and a fully automated MOT test lane. The centre will officially relaunch with a trio of open days on 10-12 February. HiQ’s retail director Peter Tye said: “HiQ Stafford really is a model of excellence for many other centres to follow, in terms of its new appearance and standards both inside the store and on the forecourt. It has been brought in line with our award winning corporate identity, which all of our centres will boast by the end of 2011.”
A Worcester woman has beaten thousands of unsung volunteers and fundraisers to win the ‘HiQ Hero’ award. A month after selecting ten finalists in the campaign to ‘unmask’ the real-life heroes that live amongst us, the fast-fitter has selected Becky Hurd the UK’s number one hero. Ms Hurd, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 29 and now raises money for the Cure Parkinson's Trust, was presented with her award by Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell OBE in Birmingham. As well as gaining the accolade of being the 'HiQ Hero' for 2010, Ms Hurd was presented with a cheque for £500 and a £5,000 cash sum to be spent on a worthy charity or project of her choice.
Some say he is HiQ’s answer to the Stig, and unlike his television counterpart he’s unlikely to publish a book revealing his secret identity. All we know is, he’s called HiQ Bertie, and he is getting involved with the fast-fitter’s Project Pink campaign for Breast Cancer Care. The HiQ mascot is known to hundreds through his presence on the company’s Facebook page, and HiQ says he has captured the imagination of so many people that he has decided to get involved in fundraising activities.
Mechanics, car dealers, driving instructors and taxi firms throughout the UK can now offer consumers the opportunity to review and rate their products and services online at Yell.com, following Yell’s acquisition and integration of the TrustedPlaces local review website. As part of the launch, Yell is developing a network of national and local community charities and will make a 25p donation for every review posted to the contributor’s charity of choice.
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