Customers of the recently opened Van Monster, a used van retailer in Outwood, Wakefield have flown to the aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity with an initial £3,000 donation raised in just one month.
With such tremendous support for the charity, Van Monster has now pledged to continue to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for the next year.
The Van Monster team were given a guided tour of one of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters and its control centre when they visited the organisation’s air support unit at Leeds Bradford International Airport to hand over the initial £3,000 raised.
Throughout April this year, £100 from every vehicle bought at the Van Monster site in Wakefield was donated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity. Customers could follow fundraising progress on a charity thermometer at www.vanmonster.com.
In addition, Van Monster, which is a subsidiary of Northgate, Britain’s largest vehicle rental company, which operates a fleet of 68,500 vehicles from 86 outlets across the UK, has offered a vehicle to the charity, which is perhaps best known for coming to the aid of BBC TV’s ‘Top Gear’ presenter Richard Hammond when he had his horrific high speed crash in September 2006. In addition, the work of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity and many of its rescue missions have featured on a BBC 1 series, Helicopter Heroes and a second series will be broadcast later this year.
Every year the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity must raise £2.6 million in donations - £7,200 a day - to keep flying. Last year, the organisation’s helicopters flew a total of 850 missions from their bases at Leeds Bradford International Airport and Sheffield City Airport.
John Woodall, Group Sales and Development Manager, said: “Many people visiting Van Monster will be familiar with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity. The Air Ambulance team provides a fantastic life-saving service ensuring seriously injured people are never more than an average 10 minutes away from hospital.
“As a result, of the fantastic support we have received from our customers, Van Monster will continue to raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity over the next year.”
Nicky de Whytell, West Yorkshire Development Officer for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity, said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity is a vital rapid response emergency service, and as a charity, we rely on the generosity of the people of Yorkshire as the life blood of our fund raising efforts. The charity receives no government funding apart from the secondment of our paramedics from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, so all money raised directly affects the patients that the air ambulance carries.”
Van Monster believe that people travel from all over the North West and Yorkshire to see its huge range of vans from all the leading manufacturers, knowing that they will be able to find their perfect vehicle.
Mr Woodall said: “We can give our customers the best vans, at the best price and in the best condition and by buying from Van Monster they are contributing to a very worthy service.
“Businesses and individuals from Huddersfield, Leeds, Sheffield, Rotherham, Bradford and all the surrounding towns buy from Van Monster so whatever business you are in whether you are a plumber, electrician, baker or candlestick maker, it makes sense to view and buy what we have to offer and thereby contribute to the special work undertaken by Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”
