Generous Raffle Winner Donates Car Prize To Boost Fundraiser
The winner of this year's St Oswald's Hospice Big Car Raffle has decided to return her prize to Bristol Street Motors Silverlink Hyundai, part of the Vertu group, and make an additional donation of £3,000 – taking the total raised this year for St Oswald’s Hospice to £30,000.
Sally Henderson, who won the brand-new Hyundai i10 in December, is the second winner of the annual raffle to hand back the prize and boost the fundraiser.
Sally, a long-time supporter of St Oswald's, expressed her surprise and delight upon winning the brand-new Hyundai i10. However, her commitment to the hospice's mission led her to make this extraordinary gesture.
She said: "I am a big supporter of St Oswald’s Hospice; it’s such an amazing charity. I’ve supported them for years and always get involved in any fundraising they are doing.
“I never expected to win the raffle, and I love the car I already have, so donating back to the Hospice to make the total a round £30,000 just made sense.
Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Vertu Motors plc, praised Sally's generosity: "We are incredibly moved by Sally's decision to return the car and make an additional donation. Her actions exemplify the spirit of giving and community support that makes the North East such a special place. We are proud to continue our partnership with St Oswald’s Hospice and support their vital work."
Nikki Maguire, Fundraising Marketing Manager at St Oswald's Hospice, added: "We are absolutely delighted and deeply grateful for Sally's generosity. The Big Car Raffle is one of our most important fundraising events, and gestures like this help us to continue providing essential care and support to our patients and their families. A huge congratulations and thank you to Sally!"
The funds raised from this year's raffle, along with Sally's additional donation, will contribute significantly to the hospice's efforts, equating to more than 1,000 hours of nursing care. With this latest contribution, the total amount raised by Vertu Motors plc and St Oswald's Hospice through the Big Car Raffle has now reached £30,000 for this year and surpassed £450,000 since the partnership first began.
St Oswald's Hospice continues to rely on the incredible support of the community to meet its annual running costs of over £14.5 million, with £8.5 million of that needing to be raised through charitable donations and fundraising activities.