Jaguar Land Rover Halewood employees raise over £8,000 for community services

Employees at the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Merseyside have donated more than £8,000 to local charities affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The funds raised came through the employees' charity fund, which is funded by staff and supplier donations.

With several organistions across the borough struggling during the virus outbreak, the money raised has been able to help foodbanks, meals on wheels, and charities providing essential support to families suffering from domestic abuse.

Neil Frackelton, Chief Executive at Sefton Women's and Children's Aid (SWACA), said: “We are a small organisation dealing with a very significant issue, in addressing the traumatic impact of domestic abuse on women and children living in Sefton.

“Every day we face an on-going challenge, dealing with the constantly high demand for our services, even before the Covid-19 situation. As you can imagine, we are very concerned about the likely follow-on impact, in terms of rising tensions within families living through the lockdown period.

“That’s why we are incredibly grateful for this generous contribution from the Jaguar Land Rover employees as it will be used to help continue vital services over the next few weeks and allow us to reach out to those vulnerable households who will be relying on our support now, more than ever.”

Jaguar employee Neil Mercer, has gone even further, single-handedly raising over £6,000 by dressing up as Spider-Man on his regular runs to help cheer up locals during the lockdown, with colleagues donating over £1,000.

Hundreds of employees at the Halewood plant are said to be volunteering across the region – with many signed up as NHS Volunteer Responders, including workers David Farrell and Graham Tubey.

The car manufacturer also lent its long-term supporter, the British Red Cross a fleet vehicles, including the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport to deliver essential medicine and food to vulnerable people across the UK.

Trevor Leeks, Operations Director at Jaguar Land Rover Halewood, said: “We are living in unprecedented times and as a responsible business, we must do what we can to support our local communities.

“There is an incredible spirit among the team at Halewood, who have blown me away with their response to the crisis.

“All the money that’s been donated has come out of their own pockets and we have also been inundated with updates from staff about all the volunteering and charitable work they have been doing outside work, which makes me incredibly proud.

“All the donations and the vital support they are providing will make a huge difference to many households in Merseyside which have been hardest hit by the devastating effects of this crisis.”