A team of volunteers opened up vacant parking spaces at the Port of Southampton to raise vital funds for local charities during the Southampton Boat Show.
The total amount raised from the week-long event was £7,406.31 and this money has been split evenly between three local charities so that ABP Southampton’s charity of the year, Different Strokes Southampton, Wessex Cancer Trust and Solent Dolphin all receive a £2,468.77 portion.
This fundraising initiative was started by Steve Russell in 2002 and has been growing each year. Steve, who used to work on Dock Gate 4, developed the idea of offering safe and secure parking for visitors to the international boat show in order to raise money for local charities.
The car parks were manned by a team of volunteers from Wessex Cancer Trust and Solent Dolphin and lead for ABP by Pilot Nigel Bassett.
ABP Director for Southampton Alastair Welch said: “We’re proud to support this excellent fundraising initiative and it’s clear that these three worthy charities will all benefit hugely from the donation.”
The 2019 Charity of the Year for ABP in Southampton is Different Strokes Southampton, a local charity working with younger stroke survivors to help them reclaim their lives.
