Arriva North West has continued its longstanding support of the Zoe’s Place baby hospice charity, including the unveiling of a further specially-liveried bus to help raise awareness.
The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker carries a newly-designed scheme that was applied at St Helens depot. It made its debut on 14 July at the operator’s annual charity golf tournament in aid of Zoe’s Place, which was held at the Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa.
That contest sees teams from across Arriva compete with groups from local businesses and suppliers. So far, the events have raised almost £300,000 for Zoe’s Place. The charity provides palliative, respite and end of life care for children from birth to five years of age who are suffering from life limiting or life threatening conditions.
The bus in question is based at Bootle depot in north Liverpool. Its livery was created by graphic design specialist Logoshack Digital, which made no charge for its services.
Speaking about the ongoing support – which began over a decade ago – Arriva North West Regional Engineering Director Phil Cummins (pictured, right) says: “We are always ready, willing and able to do whatever we can to support Zoe’s Place, which is such a worthy cause.
“It is a key value for us at Arriva that we make a difference, and it is great to see the difference we make each year by supporting a charity that does such important work for children and their families.
“We are proud of the continuing support that we give to the charity and we hope to raise more money at the golf tournament.” Mr Cummins adds a hope that the decorated bus will lead Arriva’s customers and members of the public to support Zoe’s Place.
The charity’s Corporate and Major Donor Fundraiser Gina Earnshaw (pictured, second from right) has thanked Arriva North West for its support, noting that contributions to Zoe’s Place “have meant so much.”
The golf tournament was followed by a gala dinner that included an auction to raise further funds for the charity. It runs hospices in Coventry, Liverpool and Middlesbrough.