Motorists helped with free car parts worth £12,000 as garages benefit too
Thirty motorists have won £12,000 worth of parts and repairs thanks to GSF Car Parts’ ‘Get Your Motor Running’ competition, which ran through the Bedford, Milton Keynes, Cheltenham, Swindon, Southampton and Cardiff branches recently.
Hundreds of entrants were simply asked to let the national motor factor know why they deserved to win. Each location then awarded one local motorist with a main prize of £1,000 to spend parts or repairs. Runners up all won a voucher for £250 of parts.
£1,000 winner, Daniel Latham of Harpole near Northampton, took advantage of the opportunity to get his 1973 VW Beetle running again.
Stored for 10 years, the car was purchased as a project for Daniel and his son. The vehicle’s bodywork is in good condition, but the gold-coloured Beetle could not be driven.
Having received the prize through GSF Milton Keynes, branch manager Ashley Rogers looked to local, family-run VW specialist, DG Motor Services to undertake the restoration.
“We love helping to get classics like this running again”, said garage owner Dominic Gardner. “When we first received the car, the horn sounded as soon as the engine was turned on!
“So far, the fuel pump and silencer have been replaced, the fuel lines have been cleared and a large number of electrical issues are close to being sorted. The work should be completed soon and then the Beetle will be ready for MOT.”
Other deserving winners included John Wooldridge from Chineham in Basingstoke. £1,000 of parts from GSF Southampton will keep his Renault Megane Scenic on the road so that he can take his children to their hospital appointments.
Mr Wooldridge’s 15-year-old suffers with autism and his four-year-old has been diagnosed with ADHD.
He said: “Having two disabled children makes it very difficult to afford repairs on our family car.
“Now, the money I have been saving to get the repair work done can go towards a day out for my kids.”
Sandy-based emergency volunteer, Matt Walker was awarded £250 worth of free car parts to help him get his Land Rover Discovery responder vehicle back on the road.
“The Discovery has over 200,000 miles on the clock, but as a response vehicle it’s invaluable”, said Matt.
He added: “It has been off the road for a while, but with the parts I’ve won from GSF it can take its MOT and respond to emergencies again.”
Also selected as a winner, was Matt Bennett-Sime of Canford Heath near Poole, who was awarded with £250 worth of parts.
Diagnosed with portal vein thrombosis, Mr Bennett-Sime and is being kept alive by his medication. Since his diagnosis he has thrown himself into the restoration of five classic cars.
He said: “I’m going to spend the money getting my VW Camper back on the road, as it’s the reason that I met my wife and it holds special memories.
“As soon as the Camper is repaired we can enjoy a holiday away in it.”
Amanda O’Reilly, Head of Marketing at GSF Car Parts, said: “With so many entrants it wasn’t easy to whittle them down to just 30, but we’re delighted to have been able to help our winners get their much-loved cars back on the road.”
Further Information
James Onions T. 07966 138883 | james@autotechcomms.co.uk | www.gsfcarparts.com
