South Coast: Car retail group pledges to raise £40,000 for local charities

The Peter Cooper Motor Group is celebrating 40 years in business this year by pledging to raise £40,000 for local charities.

The top-rated, family-run South Coast motor group employs over 250 people across its eight businesses in Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex, and caters for new and used car sales of all makes, specialising in Volkswagen and prestige used cars.

The Group has several exciting initiatives planned for its big year ahead, including a competition amongst some local schools to design a futuristic car for the year 2060. The company has also launched an internal competition amongst its staff to design a special commemorative logo to celebrate their 40-year milestone. The winning designer will be asked to nominate a local charity to receive a financial donation.

The Peter Cooper Motor Group Foundation has also been officially launched this year on the company’s website, which showcases it’s commitment to local businesses, charities and sports organisations. As a local business, The Peter Cooper Motor Group has always been very active in supporting local charities and initiatives, so it’s the perfect year for the Foundation to underline all its great work moving forwards.

Darren Cooper, managing director of The Peter Cooper Motor Group, who took over the running of the business from his father, Peter, reflected on previous years: “We have continually driven our business forward, constantly reviewing and improving our processes and looking for new opportunities. The last five years have been particularly busy; moving into our multi-million pound Volkswagen site in Hedge End; launching our ‘Prestige Cars by Peter Cooper’ brands at two new locations as well as starting up our new Peter Cooper Leasing division.

“The Prestige and leasing brands have been very successful, allowing us to look after our customers, no matter their choice of vehicle. We have also started up myEVCP.co.uk which installs electric vehicle charging points for domestic and commercial premises.”

He added: “The Peter Cooper Motor Group has always played a large part in supporting local charities; over the years we have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for good causes which we will continue to do through our Foundation. To mark our 40^th anniversary, our Foundation is looking to raise £40,000. This will be split across several charities with a large percentage going to just two charities that are close to our hearts - Cancer Research UK, and JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). JDRF is a type 1 diabetes charity for children and a funder of world-class medical research to cure, prevent and treat type 1 diabetes.

“My daughter was unfortunately diagnosed as type 1 in 2018, and I for one didn’t appreciate how it turns a child’s life upside down. The injections and monitoring of sugar levels in the blood during everyday life that they have to do is relentless and I want to help speed up the day when type 1 diabetes can be easily controlled.

“We know that fundraising in our current climate will not be straightforward and the restrictions on fundraising initiatives will present many obstacles. However, we remain dedicated to our cause and feel positive that when restrictions are relaxed, we will increase our efforts to raise money for these charities who are most in need.”

Cooper continued: “Forty years in business is a great milestone to reach and one that we are all very proud of. Our teams work tirelessly to deliver great service to our customers and we look forward to our continued success. Being an integral part of our community has always been a key driver for us and we remain honoured to be able to support local charities through the great work our Foundation will continue to do.”