Darlington based Northgate Vehicle Hire will waive all hire rental charges on two vans in the St Teresa’s Hospice Retail fleet for a whole year, saving around £13,661 on vehicle costs.
A constant stream of donated goods is required to stock a chain of eight Hospice shops, and the vans are essential to undertake house clearances and supply runs to each outlet.
Northgate Vehicle Hire, who specialise in business vehicles will supply two vans free of charge from the end of June 2022. The cost saving will allow St Teresa’s to direct more funds towards the costs of providing specialist care around the clock to those with terminal illness.
Chief Executive Officer of Northgate Vehicle Hire, Martin Ward, was surprised to learn during a tour of the Hospice that the majority of funding comes from public donations.
Moved by his visit, Ward commented: “I was surprised that there is very little NHS or Government funding available and that the Hospice manages to get by on donations and gifts. I trust this will help in some small way towards the wonderful service provided by all at St Teresa’s to our community.”
Chief Executive of St Teresa’s Hospice David Smith said: “We are absolutely dependent on the generosity of individuals and businesses to enable us to provide a high quality and much needed service to the community. We do get some NHS funding but this is inconsistent and doesn’t cover the basic, core services that we provide and certainly not any of the ‘little extras’ that make all the difference to people.
Northgate’s offer to waive the rental charges of the vans is very generous indeed. It will make a real difference to our organisation and we are extremely grateful to them for their support”.
