8:00 am, October 22, 2013
SENIOR managers at the family-owned Marshall Motor Group got more than they were expecting when they turned up for their management conference last week.
Having concluded their normal business of the day, they were surprised to be broken into teams and challenged, in the style of the BBC’s Apprentice programme to raise money for BEN, the automotive industry charity.
Eight teams competed to raise cash for the charity and also secure items which will be auctioned or raffled at the annual BEN Ball which takes place in London on December 11. In total, the value of the donations and the auction/raffle prizes is estimated to be around £40,000.
The cash raised, including the Gift Aid which the charity will be claiming from HMRC on the donations totalled £19,000. The 52 auction lots promised include items like: a box for 18 people at the O2 for one of the events there: jewellery worth around £1,000; a sailing trip around the Isle of Wight for 6 people; plus track days, football match tickets and a personal dance lesson from Tom Chambers, a former winner of Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC.
The teams were also charged with collecting items which are much needed in the four BEN Care Centres across the country. For this part of the challenge the teams hit the streets around their conference venue in Birmingham, collecting more than 250 items ranging from hats and cake stands to sewing machines.
Marshall’s chief executive Daksh Gupta said: ‘This started as an exercise designed to be some fun, with a serious business element attached to it around planning, teamwork, organisation and motivation, but turned into something amazing on the day.
‘It was truly inspiring to watch the efforts of the various teams in being able to make it happen. I would like to thank them as well as all the various people who donated on the day.’
Nigel Rothband, chief operating officer of BEN, said: ‘In Marshall, we are very fortunate to have a charity partner who proactively develops innovative fundraising initiatives that not only deliver amazing results but help introduce BEN to an audience we simply couldn’t reach with our limited resources.
‘I honestly don’t believe that any of us anticipated the results we saw and we have been truly overwhelmed by the support given by all the participants and those who made the cash or item donations – it just goes to show how much our industry achieves when it works together.’
Marshall is a long-time supporter of Bangers4BEN – Car Dealer Magazine’s annual banger rally run. Find out how much Marshall Motor Group’s entries made when its cars are sold for charity next week.
