Motor dealership donates new minibus to charity

Yeomans Peugeot, in Littlehampton Road, Ferring, has presented the vehicle, named Charlie, in memory of the charity’s founder Charles Boughton-Leigh.

Leon O’Hara, dealer principal, said: “Yeomans is a local family business and we wanted to do something for the community.”

Mr Boughton-Leigh, who died in August 2012, was a good friend of the family that owns Yeomans and they wanted to do something in his memory.

In consultation with the charity, Yeomans Peugeot agreed to source a new minibus to fit the clients’ needs, including wheelchair access.

Lynda Vowles, general manager at Ferring Country Centre, said: “Our old vehicle had only eight seats, was not wheelchair adapted and was difficult for those with mobility issues to get into.

“We are absolutely amazed and delighted with this new minibus. It not only has 17 seats but is wheelchair adapted and is easy to get into. It is suitable for our entire client group, so will not exclude anyone.

“We would like to thank Yeomans Peugeot for their generous support. It means that our client group will be able to enjoy off-site activities on a more regular basis and will enable them to go out and experience their community.

“It will make a huge impact on our services, where transport is frequently a major block to accessing the community. We now have more than 120 clients, with differing needs, accessing our service and this will ensure they are all able to engage completely with the local community.

“As you can imagine, as a charity, we always have a ‘wish’ list of items that are required but cannot be purchased due to lack of funds. It’s just fantastic that Yeomans have done this for us, we cannot thank them enough.”

Mr O’Hara said he had not known such a donation in the 15 years he had been with the business.

“We had a really good time handing it over and it was really interesting to spend time down at the country centre,” he added.

“It is like Ferring’s best-kept secret and we need to shout about it.”

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