Lexus Belfast donation will go towards the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland Trust which will resume flights for the first time since Covid-19
Lexus Belfast, as part of the Charles Hurst Group, will support the cost of sending one child with a life-threatening and/or life-limiting condition to Lapland this winter.
The business chose the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust (NICLT) as a recipient for its waived fee to showcase vehicles at the recent Bushmills Salmon and Whiskey Festival.
When approached by Lexus Belfast to promote two vehicles on its grounds during the event, The Bushmills Inn suggested that they instead donate the fee to NICLT, a charity it has supported for many years.
Alan Walls, General Manager of The Bushmills Inn, said, “We are very proud to be a corporate partner of the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust and to support them in their invaluable work. We are always delighted to help where we can to raise awareness of the charity’s work and in the process generate even more funds for them and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to do so.”
And so, Lexus Belfast has donated just under £1000 to support the cost of sending one well-deserved child to the snowy hills of Rovaniemi in Finland where they will meet Santa and his little helpers this winter.
The donation is particularly welcome as the charity resumes its festive day trip to the magical location in December after it was forced to suspend trips because of the pandemic.
Approximately 100 children visit Lapland every year with NICLT.
Jonathan Lavery, Centre Manager, Lexus Belfast, said:
“We were delighted to be showcasing two of the best sustainable cars on the market, the Lexus NX and the Lexus UX 300e, at the Bushmills Inn this weekend and to have the chance to support a fantastic local charity. Given the Bushmills Inn’s key presence and established heritage at the heart of the town, they’re the perfect partner to team up with.”
As part of Northern Ireland’s largest automotive group, Charles Hurst, Lexus Belfast is the only official Lexus Centre in Northern Ireland. As a brand, Lexus specialises in a range of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, with a focus on sustainability and a clear mission to achieve carbon neutrality.
Colin Barkley, Chair, Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust said: “We want to thank The Bushmills Inn for pointing Charles Hurst in our direction and indeed Charles Hurst for choosing us as their charity.”
“At this time of year, we are always ramping up our fundraising to accommodate our Christmas flights or in previous years when we couldn’t operate the flights, our toy delivery service.
“This money will help support the act of making Christmas a very magical event for one very special child.”
Pictured are Sarah Armstrong, Brand Marketing Manager, Charles Hurst Group; Charlene Dickey, a member of the North Coast Fundraising Committee for the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust (NICLT); and Kerry McIntyre, Duty Managers, The Bushmills Inn.