Arnold Clark makes donation to North West Charities

Thanks to the car retailer's generous employees, they have turned pennies into pounds and supported Wood Street Mission, Empowerment, Blackpool Lifeboat Station and the Whitechapel Centre.

Arnold Clark's Change for Charity scheme is an optional scheme that allows employees to donate the change from their pay checks to a nominated local charity.

This scheme is only one part of Arnold Clark’s charitable contributions; the retailer gives further donations to other national charities and groups throughout the year.

Lynne McBurney, Group People Director at Arnold Clark, said: ‘Our employees are at the heart of everything we do and it’s great to help support them to give back to their local community.

‘Choosing local charities that our employees have suggested we support via the Change for Charity initiative has not only allowed us to donate to smaller organisations but, alongside our Community Fund, has helped us to build fantastic relationships with them going forward too.’

Wood Street Mission is a children’s charity helping children and families living on a low income in Manchester and Salford.

Empowermentis a Blackpool-based charity which has made a long-term commitment to supporting our local communities and improving lives.

Blackpool Lifeboat Station’s volunteer lifeboat crews provide rescue services and education, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Whitechapel Centreis the leading homeless and housing charity for the Liverpool region and assists those who are struggling to find accommodation and housing.

A representative from the Whitechapel Centre told us: ‘On behalf of the Whitechapel Centre, I would like to thank you for the recent donation of £800.

‘We are very grateful to you for thinking of us and our clients, your donation really does make a difference. The Whitechapel Centre is the leading homeless and housing charity for the Liverpool region.

‘We work with people who are rough sleeping, living in hostels or struggling to manage their accommodation. We are committed to helping people find and maintain a home and learn the life skills essential for independent living.

‘Last year we supported 4,368 people in Liverpool who were experiencing homelessness - an increase of 15% on the previous year. It's only thanks to the generosity of supporters like you that we're able to continue our life-changing, life-saving work. We believe prevention is the first step in the fight against homelessness.

‘We aim to offer support in housing at every step of the journey of homelessness, from the moment a person is at risk of losing their home, right through to those who have become entrenched in a ‘street lifestyle'.

‘With this in mind, we also prevented 1,761 individuals from becoming homeless thanks to interventions for those at risk including drop-in advice sessions, benefits advice and personal negotiation with landlords and agencies.

‘We supported a further 2,023 homeless people into the right accommodation for their needs. We also ensured 259 people had access to education and employment activities to enable them to continue to live independently.

‘Because of your support and generosity, our vital services remain open to all, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, a 24-hour public helpline (0300 123 2041), and dedicated street outreach teams.'

A representative from Wood Street Mission told us: ‘The £800 donated by Arnold Clark will make a big difference to families affected by poverty across Manchester and Salford.

‘For example, that amount could provide school uniform for twenty children to ensure they feel confident engaging in the classroom or go towards facilitating one of our Book Roadshow events at local schools to promote literacy skills and encourage a love of reading. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Arnold Clark for helping us to change lives.’

For more information, visit: https://www.ArnoldClark.com/community-fund

Press contact:

Kyndall Green

Senior Communications Executive

Arnold Clark

[email protected]

[email protected]

Notes to editors:

About Arnold Clark

Founded in 1954, the fledgling business took off from a single-car showroom on Glasgow’s Park Road, given flight by its founder’s simple philosophy: to offer genuine value for money and customer service of the highest level.

Fast forward 70 years and the company continues to flourish with 200 branches across the country, selling over 200,000 cars a year. But while Arnold Clark is a name that’s synonymous with vehicle sales, there’s much more to the business than you see on the showroom floor.

There’s also a vehicle rental and fleet management division, with its very own film and TV division, and a fleet of over 50,000 cars. The Group also offers everything that a customer might need for the onward journey, with parts and servicing departments, an accident repairs division, and insurance services.