Scots firms launches £120,000 charity fund

A Scottish company that is a UK leader in the supply of wheelchair accessible vehicles has launched a £120,000 charity fund to help non-profit groups achieve their aims.

The Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust is seeking applications for a share of a £10,000 monthly pot which is aimed at making a difference to its local communities in Glasgow and further afield.

Applications will be decided by a staff committee in an initiative that will give consistency to the Allied Vehicles Group’s charitable donations and bring together all the charity work undertaken by the company and its workforce, as well as getting everyone involved in the decision-making process.

Staff and the business combined their efforts at Christmas to donate more than 800 gifts for disadvantaged children, and the new Trust is expected to build on that.

David Facenna, Allied’s Corporate Culture Director, said: “It’s been great to be able to support charities like Possibilities, North-West Children’s Partnership and Marie Curie Stobhill, but the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust gives us the scope to bring together our charitable giving in a really great way.

“Everyone at Allied is excited to see who the Trust supports and see how many people we can ‘move and make a difference to their lives’.”

The committee’s aim is to help Allied give something back to the community, and they will discuss any charity or cause that is put forward.

Charities suggestions can also be made by the general public.

Following the committee’s first meeting in January, more than 20 charities were put forward in a process that will see them all go through a thorough analysis with additional details being compiled for subsequent meetings.

Committee members will speak to each of the charities suggested for an award to find out how they may be able to best support them. Once they pass the due diligence stage, the groups will be presented to the committee for a decision on who will be supported and by how much. Confirmation of the awards made to a range of charities in the first tranche of funding is expected within the next week.

Gerry Facenna, Co-owner and Chairman of Allied Vehicles Group thanked the workforce for getting involved in the initiative and told them: “It’s really very important to me about us putting something back into the community.

“I’m looking forward to you all getting involved in this, helping us with it and making sure we’re picking amazing causes to support.

“Most of you may well know that the life expectancy if you’re born in Possilpark is 10 years less than anywhere else in Scotland, so let’s try to lift that if we can and put a bit back in.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors: The Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust is a new initiative that will see the Allied Vehicles Group donate £120,000 a year to charities in communities around its Possilpark, Glasgow headquarters and further afield. Funding applications from organisations for a share of the £10,000 monthly figure will be considered by a staff committee and will be paid out every month.

About Allied Vehicles

Allied Vehicles Group is the UK’s leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible cars, minibuses and taxis. The company supplies special purpose vehicles to private and public sector customers throughout the UK and, increasingly, in continental Europe. The group also provides assistive living aids for older and disabled people and a full range of automotive after-sales services including service and maintenance, accident repair and nationwide parts distribution. Allied supports a range of local community initiatives and national disability charities and is a member of the Disability Positive employer scheme.