6:38 am, August 13, 2023
A car dealership is helping an ex-car sales manager who now uses a canoe to improve the environment where he lives.
Nunns of Grimsby is lending Jim Elliott an all-electric Mazda MX-30 to enable him to continue his clean-up campaign.
Elliott – aka The Canoe River Cleaner – used to work at IJC Car Sales in Louth, but after being furloughed his job was then made redundant in April 2021 because of the economic fallout from the pandemic.
He now helps to improve the health of the river Freshney, including preventing plastic pollution by fishing plastic out of the river before it can break down into microparticles and affect wildlife and human health by finding its way into our oceans.
Read Motor Group dealerships representing Suzuki and MG helped Elliott previously, and marketing consultant Anderlea Butters subsequently set the ball rolling with Nunns of Grimsby to ensure Elliott could carry on his environmental work.
Paul Scrivens, sales manager at Nunns Mazda Grimsby, said: ‘Nunns are proud to be able to sponsor Jim. When I was asked about the possibility of supporting him, we had to be involved.
Jim Elliott, left, and Paul Scrivens with the Mazda MX-30
‘The positive role Jim plays within our community is an inspiration, and the message couldn’t be more relevant.
‘As a family business born in this area, this community is our community – the community that has kept us going over the past 40-plus years.
‘Any opportunity to make a positive difference within the local area couldn’t be passed up, and we hope that giving Jim the ability to get around emission-free is just the start of our collaboration. He might even get me out in a canoe!’
As well as cleaning up the Freshney a couple of days a week, which he does voluntarily, Elliott also works part time for a mental health trust, bringing nature-based activities to service users, and runs nature walks for children.
‘It’s all about the flow for me!’ he told Car Dealer. ‘It’s incredibly important for me – especially in this climate we find ourselves in – to consistently strive to make a difference from an environmental perspective.
‘One of the biggest things we can do to reduce the impact of climate change is to alter our driving habits, and other ways we move from A to B.
‘Travelling to and from my river cleans and educational projects emission-free sits firmly in line with what I’m trying to achieve and the standard I would like to set.
‘With their generosity, Nunns have helped me to achieve what I would have ordinarily found difficult to attain, with their sponsorship of a full-electric vehicle.’
Elliott will initially have the MX-30 for six months but that could be extended.
He was full of praise for the emission-free sub-compact crossover SUV, too.
‘The Mazda MX-30 offers exactly what I need in a vehicle and reflects the manufacturer’s ethos when it comes to being at the forefront of environmentally friendly technology.
‘There’s door trims made from recycled PET bottles and even cork used in their floating centre console, which is also a nod to Mazda’s history.’
He added: ‘Nunns Mazda are very active within the community and are forward-thinking when it comes to social media, so I’m really excited to see how our relationship unfolds.’
Anyone wishing to sponsor him can do so via his crowdfunder.
Pictured at top are Jim Elliott, left, and Paul Scrivens
