Bentley trainees support local charity

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– Trainees raise more than £22,000 for local charity 
– Online campaign reaches over 10,000 people

Industrial placement trainees (IPs) from Bentley Motors have raised £22,090 for local domestic abuse charity, Cheshire Without Abuse (CWA), while also establishing new marketing communications tools. Industrial placement trainees (IPs) from Bentley Motors have raised £22,090 for local domestic abuse charity, Cheshire Without Abuse (CWA), while also establishing new marketing communications tools.

As part of their placement programme, which began in August 2013, the IPs were challenged with fundraising along with helping the charity achieve an increased online presence.

The fundraising activities included the group taking part in the ‘Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge’, silent auctions and confectionary sales. The money raised will aide young people and families that have suffered from domestic abuse.

Angela Hodgson, Continuous Improvement Programme Leader at Bentley Motors has overseen this year’s fundraising programme and comments: “Bentley has a close relationship with CWA, not just through fundraising activities, but strategic development and business planning. The IPs have built a close bond with the charity and worked hard to achieve this amount, and are also very grateful to those that have donated. We are proud of the commitment our IPs have shown, and know this contribution makes a real difference to a very worthwhile cause.”

The IPs also added their marketing communications expertise, with a dedicated specialist team working on an online campaign, which included enhancing the reach of the charity’s Twitter account, increasing its engagement and influence. The reach has grown to over 10,000 Twitter users, and many businesses, which resulted in large donations through the charity’s Just Giving page, promoted through Twitter and set up by the IPs.

Saskia Ritchie, CWA Manager commented: “We are so grateful for the hard work and effort the IPs have put into their charitable work. I have personally learnt so much from them in terms of business management, social media and professional fundraising. I will genuinely miss them when they return to University. The money will be invested in the development of a nursery to further enable the support we can offer to families with children.”

Bentley’s Industrial Placement programme runs for 12 months and is for undergraduates working in industry as part of their university studies. A group of 30 IPs helped raise money for CWA.