“Pleasure comes from helping others.”
Next time your heart sinks at the sight of a flat tyre on your car, think instead about how, with a bit of help from a Catford garage, it could be a vehicle for supporting your local hospice.
Incredibly, by donating the £1 every customer pays to pump up their tyres, Grips Tyres and Wheels has raised more than £23,000 for St Christopher’s since it introduced the scheme more years ago than proprietor Reg can remember.
South Londoner, born and bred, Reg, 78, while never having had a family member cared for by the hospice, has lost numerous relatives and has always been aware of the hospice.
“I’ve always known about. My aunt lived in flats opposite. I’ve been fortunate in my life but I have no hobbies and all I do is work. My pleasure is supporting charities.”
From 7.30am to 6.30 in the evening Reg is at the garage on Verdant Lane fixing wheels and tyres – slowly but surely collecting bucketloads of £1 coins all the while.
“St Christopher’s does such great work and I thought if I can help in any way I can, I will. We used to make some donations and then I wanted to do a bit extra so we thought let’s do the air and give the money to St Christopher’s.
“Every month or so they come and empty the pot that’ll have anything from £250-£500 in it. We have one man who comes to visit his wife’s grave in the cemetery across the road. He used to spend £20 on a bunch of flowers every time. Now he comes and puts £20 in the pot for St Christopher’s instead.”
The garage’s support for St Christopher’s extends further. Twice they’ve organised amateur dramatic shows at the hospice and they’ve provided support at the Fun Walk many times including putting a team of walkers that raised close to £3,000. All of the hospice’s vehicles are entitled to free puncture repairs too.
Reg and his team, many of whom have been working for all 25 years the garage has been open, show no sign of easing up on their fundraising efforts just yet.
“I’m going to carry on working. I mean what else would I do. And anyway, we want to keep helping St Christopher’s. It’s a beautiful place that has an aura of calmness that just brings home to you how lucky you are to be healthy but none of us knows when we might need it.”
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