Volvo Trucks has pledged its continued support for international development organisation Transaid with the presentation of a cheque for £67,080 to patron HRH The Princess Royal – the largest single donation that Transaid has received in more than a decade.
The donation came following an auction at Volvo UK’s 50th anniversary gala dinner which saw a top-of-the-range Ailsa ‘limited edition’ gold FH16-750 sold for £220,000 to Northern Ireland operator Manfreight. Volvo pledged that all funds raised above the truck’s reserve price of £100,000 would go to charity, to be split between Transaid and the winning bidder’s nominated charity, Cystic Fibrosis Trust. A further £7,080 was raised at the Gala.
Chris Slowey, Managing Director of Craigavon-based Manfreight, presented the cheque to Transaid’s Patron, Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, alongside Carlos Rodrigues, CFO of Volvo Group Trucks, at Transaid’s annual showcase event in London.
Speaking at the event, Chris said: “Transaid’s professional driver training projects are particularly close to our hearts as they help to make commercial vehicle drivers more competent and vehicles safer in addition to reducing death and injury on the road. It’s an honour to know that our money will be used to help such a worthwhile cause.”
The £67,080 is being directly spent towards the development of Transaid’s current road safety and driver training projects in Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda, and will also allow Transaid to expand its road safety programme in West Africa.
Transaid’s Chief Executive, Caroline Barber, said: “We are incredibly lucky to receive such fantastic support from our corporate members and are so grateful to Volvo Trucks for making us the beneficiary of this high-profile vehicle auction. Thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa will benefit from their generosity.”
