Three is the magic number as leading car retailer raises £300k in 3 years for cancer charity

Agnew Group, one of Northern Ireland’s top car retailers, has raised £300,000 for the province’s biggest cancer charity for children as it rounds off a three-year partnership with the third sector organisation. 

The money raised exceeded the car sales firm’s target of £200,000 that it set back in 2017 when it made a pledge with Cancer Fund for Children to help support its services which include everything from residential group support to therapeutic short breaks for young people and their families living with cancer.

The 1150-strong team at Agnew Group generated the money through a range of initiatives including payroll giving, cake sales, golf days and a Mourne Mountain Challenge. 

It also further assisted the charity by hosting a volunteers’ event at its Audi Belfast dealership where Cancer Fund for Children celebrated the work carried out by its many supporters as well as showcasing its future plans. 

Phil Alexander, CEO at Cancer Fund for Children said: “On behalf of the young people and families at Cancer Fund for Children, we are extremely grateful to the Agnew Group for their incredible energy and enthusiasm over the past three years in helping raise vital funds and build awareness of childhood cancer.

“The dedication of each member of staff from the Agnew Group has been incredible. The Agnew Group has also very generously matched all of their staff’s donations which has brought them to their phenomenal final total of £300,000.

“Our services help to empower, connect and strengthen young people and their families so they feel better equipped to deal with the impact cancer has on their lives. Providing these services would not be possible without the support of companies such as the Agnew Group.”

Yuile Magee, Managing Director at Agnew Group added: “Working to raise funds for Cancer Fund for Children has been a true labour of love for our entire team. The work that Cancer Fund for Children does helps ease what is the most challenging time in many families’ lives here and we are grateful for that service and are honoured to have played a small role in enabling that amazing work to go further.”

Mr Magee said the company looks forward to entering into a new charitable partnership with mental health charity MindWise this year:

“As our partnership comes to an end with Cancer Fund for Children, the team at Agnew Group look forward to working with a new organisation that is also making a difference to those who need it most. 

“The funds we now raise will help roll out MindWise’s Family Wellness Project to the Belfast Trust and enable the charity to provide dedicated support. 

“The Family Wellness Project aims to enhance the emotional health and wellbeing of children aged 5-12 who are at risk of developing significant mental health difficulties. Currently it is only available through the Southern and Western Health Trusts and we are honoured to help play a role in extending that service beyond those confines.”

Welcoming the new partnership, Anne Doherty CEO at MindWise said: “MindWise are absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with Agnew Group over the next year. Like MindWise, Agnew Group is passionate about the mental health and wellbeing of their employees and the wider community. We look forward to making a real difference by supporting the mental health and wellbeing of employees while also creating greater opportunities for families experiencing mental health issues to access the services across the greater Belfast area.”