FUNDRAISING BALL MAKES THOUSANDS FOR MACCLESFIELD CHARITY

A Macclesfield charity has been boosted following its annual fundraising ball at The Tytherington Club.

JJ’s Sensory Play Centre’s fifth annual charity ball, sponsored again by Gilbert Lawton Volkswagen, generated over £7,000 for the South Cheshire children’s charity.

JJ’s, which relies entirely on donations, is a soft padded multi-sensory facility that provides relaxation and stimulation for children and adults with special needs.

The money raised will go towards the annual costs of providing the centre, which co-founder Joanne Griffiths admits needs all the money it can get.

She said: “The charity ball has helped raise money which is vital to keep the charity going.

“It costs about £45,000 a year to run the charity and the annual ball is key to the centre remaining open.

“The continued success of the ball and the play centre isn’t possible without the support of local businesses, including Gilbert Lawton, and this is greatly appreciated by everyone at JJ’s.”

The centre is open six days a week and has over 200 people regular coming along to use the facilities.

It is primarily aimed at children and adults with learning disabilities, but is open for children under three who don’t come under those categories.

Further improvements are planned but Joanne knows without further investment the additional equipment will be put on hold.

She added: “As people spend less money on activities so we have seen a drop in revenue and while we understand the situation, it’s frustrating we can’t improve the current facilities for those who attend JJ’s.

“Ideally the centre needs about £10,000 for a new lighting system which would greatly improve the enjoyment and benefits to the children and adults.”

Nick Ashton, brand manager at Gilbert Lawton Macclesfield, said: “JJ’s provides a fantastic service to the local and regional community and we’re delighted to be able to continue our involvement in raising money and awareness of the charity for the third consecutive year.

“We are constantly looking at new ways of raising money for JJ’s and look forward to continuing to help in 2012.”

APPRENTICE TAKES FIRST STEP ON CAREER LADDER

A young car enthusiast from Macclesfield has embarked on three-year with the aim of becoming the best in the business.

Nineteen-year-old Matthew Wordsworth has been accepted by Macclesfield’s Volkswagen retailer, Gilbert Lawton, to be the latest recruit on the technician apprenticeship scheme.

Over the next three years Gilbert Lawton Volkswagen will invest nearly £40,000 to train Matthew through to technician status.

Matthew has joined after completing ‘A’ levels at college, and is looking forward to achieving his ambition of working on Volkswagen vehicles.

He said: “I love all types of vehicles and this is the only job I have ever wanted to do. I am passionate about the Volkswagen brand and I want to go as far in my career as I can.

“I am over the moon to I be given this opportunity and very grateful to Gilbert Lawton Volkswagen for giving me this chance.”

“This is a great opportunity for me and I want to show everyone how much this apprenticeship means to me.”

Gilbert Lawton’s brand manager, Nick Ashton, said: “Matthew’s passion for cars was one of the main reasons why he’s been given this place on the apprenticeship programme.

“I’m confident he will come through the three years with flying colours.”