Manchester 235 (London Clubs International) gives £30K mobility vehicle to Help The Aged & Age Concern

Today on behalf of Age Concern and Help the Aged, The Mayor of Tameside presented the keys of a brand new wheelchair adapted vehicle donated by Manchester 235 to local group Miles Of Smiles alongside Andy Orr, Club Director at Manchester 235. London Clubs International (LCI) owns the Manchester 235 casino and the vehicle has been bought thanks to a £27,000 donation from LCI to the Charity. The event took place this afternoon at Ashton Town Hall in Tameside, Greater Manchester

The Manchester donation is part of a larger commitment LCI have made to Age Concern and Help the Aged (formally Help the Aged) of £300,000 over five years to support the Charity’s community services. This allows the company to give something back to the communities that it works in. The first was a year’s funds to support a HandyVan safety and security service in Southend followed by funding three brand new vehicles in Nottingham, Glasgow and now Manchester, all bought through the Charity’s Senior Mobility service. Each minibus is wheelchair accessible and costs about £30,000. Says Andy Orr, Club Director at Manchester 235: “It is an honour to fund the Miles Of Smiles vehicle as the group is such a worthy cause. Volunteers for the group take patients to and from various health-related appointments, and is open to patients who due to illness, age or disability are unable to use public transport to get about. “It also operates a home from hospital service, and supports older people wishing to visit relatives and friends in nursing homes or hospitals. Until now, the organisation has relied upon volunteers using their own cars to transport patients – so they are often unable to accommodate wheel chairs. If Manchester 235 can make a substantial difference to both the patients and volunteers lives, then to say we are delighted is an understatement!” David Sharples, Project Development Manager of Miles Of Smiles, said: “We would like to thank Age Concern and Help the Aged and LCI for all the help we have received in purchasing this vehicle. It has been badly needed for some time now, and I know I speak for our whole organisation when I say that it is vital to our resources here. We look forward to using it for a long time to come.” As well as helping Age Concern and Help the Aged support older people’s groups and community transport projects to purchase essential vehicles, London Clubs International have also funded one of the Charity’s HandyVans. The HandyVan fitters assess security and safety needs in an older person’s home, fits locks and other items such as spy-holes, door chains, and carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, all free of charge. Says Viv Ross, Social Responsibility Manager at London Clubs International: “So far LCI has donated £120,000 to Help the Aged and intends to double that figure within the next two years to the newly merged charity Age Concern and Help the Aged, making a total of £300,000 over five years. Previous donations have taken place in Nottingham courtesy of Alea Casino, Southend on behalf of Rendezvous Casino and Glasgow courtesy of Alea Casino Glasgow. Alea Leeds is due to follow suit later this year. However, as well as monetary donations for vehicles, LCI venues also donate unclaimed lost property directly to Age Concern and Help the Aged. “It is very important to us as a company to be socially aware and we enjoy working closely with the community on a nationwide basis. This includes organisations such as Crimestoppers and the Responsibility in Gambling Trust which funds GamCare. All staff are openly encouraged to get involved in charity fund-raising on their own initiatives that London Clubs International takes great pleasure in supporting.”