Charity honour for Chester firm's "golden givers"

Released on: January 31, 2012, 6:54 pm
Author: ACF Car Finance
Industry: Automotive

Big-hearted staff at a Chester-based auto company, ACF Car Finance Limited, have earned a glittering government-backed award for their support of charity.

Thanks to the staff's generosity, the firm learned this week it has won a gold achievement accolade from the UK's national Payroll Giving Centre.

The honour is made to businesses which successfully encourage staff to make regular charitable donations, deducted at source from their salary.

ACF Car Finance is a member-company of The Funding Corporation on Chester Business Park, many of whose 210 employees have now signed up to payroll giving.

According to Marketing Manager Jane Whittle, who also heads the company's charity committee, the award came as a "fantastic surprise" to everyone:

"The Payroll Giving organisers told us that the number of people now making donations at ACF Car Finance meant that we were automatically entered into their honours scheme," said Jane.

"The awards are made at different levels of achievement, so we were amazed to find that we had gone straight in at gold!" she added.

Donations from the salaries of staff go directly to the motor industry charity BEN.

Just a few months ago, BEN received a further £3,000 boost from ACF Car Finance when the firm's Group Buying Manager, Leyton Cooper, took part in the cause's annual charity rally.

He drove to Italy in a scrapyard banger - as required by the rules - and raised the largest single amount of all the 30-plus teams taking part in the 1,700-mile motoring marathon.

There is a strong culture of charitable giving at ACF Car Finance, said Jane, and the firm's charity committee which she chairs meets regularly to explore new fundraising opportunities:

"We try to divide our efforts between BEN and local good causes, such as the Claire House Children's Hospice in the Wirral.

"But we often like to inject a bit of fun into what we do, and one of our most successful initiatives last year was letting staff pay to have their car washed by a company director!

"We began encouraging Payroll Giving a few years ago, and arrange regular presentations from the charity to explain how their donations help people in genuine need.

"The scheme has received tremendous support from staff - and it's entirely down to them that ACF Car Finance now holds what is known as the Gold Payroll Giving Quality Mark Award," said Jane.

Last year, almost £114 million was received and distributed to charity by the government-sponsored Payroll Giving scheme, all from employees who donated straight from their salary.


ENDS

For further information, contact:
Jane Whittle
Marketing Manager
The Funding Corporation
01244 625 683
jane.whittle@thefundingcorporation.com

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