Reading Buses said ‘goodbye’ to their current Charity of the Year today (Thursday) with the presentation of a significant cheque to Sport in Mind.
Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer Robert Williams presented the cheque to Neil Harris, CEO/founder of Sport in Mind, and Paul Owen, OBE, head of business.
Robert said; “We are delighted to be able to present a cheque to Sport in Mind for £4,000 exactly. Whilst it has been a tough year for both ourselves and the charity we are thrilled that our customers and employees have been able to help contribute a significant amount of money to the charity.
“But it’s not just about the money, of course,” Robert continued, “Sport in Mind have benefited from the charity bus roaming around the local area as well as on-board bus screens and various other activity from the company which we hope has raised their profile even higher than it was before. We definitely wish them all the best in the future.”
Said Sport in Mind’s Neil Harris: “Sport in Mind are delighted to have been the charity partner of Reading Buses for the past two years. The distinctive sign written bus has significantly increased our profile and the money raised is making a difference to local people’s lives.”
Reading Buses say that with Covid-19 forcing their biggest fundraising activity, the open day, having to be cancelled for two years, the amount raised was not as much as the company had hoped for at the start of the partnership.
However, despite Covid-19 restricting fundraising activities, the charity said it was nevertheless ‘thrilled’ with the amount raised which they added would make a ‘significant difference’ to the support they could provide.
The presentation of the cheque, at Reading Buses Great Knollys Street depot, was attended by a number of the company’s employees whose efforts had contributed to the success of the year.