Carcraft drives ahead fund-raising for cancer hospital

Steve Bennett, the inspiration behind Carcraft’s decision to pick Christie’s

The Christie Hospital in Manchester is set for a financial boost thanks to the fund-raising efforts of staff at local used car hypermarket, Carcraft.

The family owned business, which has its head office on Nixon Street in Castleton, has chosen the cancer hospital as its charity of the year and has already raised over £2,500 towards its £10,000 target.   Carcraft sales executive Steve Bennett, who is leading the appeal, is currently undergoing a course of treatment at the hospital and is keen to give something back.

The Christie Hospital, generally known as “Christie’s”, is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe.  It provides high quality diagnosis, treatment and care for over 3.2 million people in the Greater Manchester and Cheshire regions, as well as undertaking world class cancer research and supporting a range of educational programmes.

Mike Walsh, Regional Director at Carcraft, says:  “One in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.  It is a cause that is close to our hearts here at Carcraft.

“As we welcome thousands of people from the Greater Manchester region to our Rochdale headquarters every year, we’re the perfect forum to help raise awareness and funds for Christie’s.  We’re delighted to have chosen the hospital as our charity of the year and to be supporting Steve in his own personal battle with cancer.”

Last weekend, two members of the Carcraft team, Jon Cleaver and Martin Bluck, raised £2,000 between them, by completing all 13.1 miles of the challenging Blackpool Half Marathon.  They were boosted by a £300 donation from the company’s Chief Executive, Noel McKee, and finished the race in 1 hour 37 minutes and 1 hour 27 minutes respectively.

Steve Bennett, the inspiration behind Carcraft’s decision to pick Christie’s as its chosen charity this year, already has plenty of fund-raising ideas up his sleeve:  “We have a number of events planned throughout the year – including a Golf Day, a sponsored press-ups tournament and head shaving event in the showroom, and an online auction.  These will culminate on 1 September with a Fun Day and a live charity auction in the evening, where signed England and Premiership football shirts will be up for grabs, alongside many other sought-after items.”
             
Jacky Plant, Regional Appeals Officer for the North West at Christie’s, says: “We’re delighted to have been chosen as Carcraft’s charity of the year and we’re looking forward to working alongside them. We rely heavily on the support of companies and individuals and we’re extremely grateful to Steve and all the staff at Carcraft for their kind support.”

Readers can donate to the Christie Hospital appeal at their local Carcraft branch or by visiting:

www.justgiving.com/benito