Donnelly Group raises more than £14k for Aware NI

Donnelly Group has donated more than £14,000 to mental health charity Aware NI after a year-long partnership.

Fundraising efforts included a Dragon Boat Race along the River Lagan and a golf day community event with support from local businesses. A total of £14,356.40 was raised, which will go towards helping those struggling with mental health issues across Northern Ireland.

Roisin Donnelly (pictured left), spokesperson for the Donnelly Group Foundation, said: “As a local company that employs people from all across Northern Ireland, we are committed to making a positive impact in the communities in which our staff work and live.

“Aware was the charity partner of choice as voted for by employees from across our nine locations, so it has been wonderful to see them show such enthusiasm for the partnership and get involved right from the beginning, with our fundraisers always seeing a fantastic turnout of support from the Donnelly Group team along with their friends and family.

“As our partnership with Aware draws to an end, as a team we have been able to reflect on how it has helped us boost our own mental health throughout the year, such as through our Sunset Climb to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, and our Mood Walk at Parkanaur Forest Park.”

Aware NI is the only charity in Northern Ireland working exclusively for people with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. It has an established network of 23 support groups in rural and urban areas across Northern Ireland.

Lisa Abell-Farrelly (pictured right), corporate partnership officer, at Aware NI, added: “Poor mental health can affect people from all walks of life and in many cases, the work we do is lifesaving, but it is only possible through the substantial help of organisations such as the Donnelly Group.

“The money raised throughout the course of our charity partnership will significantly help people across Northern Ireland who rely on our services to maintain positive mental health.

“We would like to extend a huge thank-you to the team at Donnelly Group for their generous donation. It has been a pleasure working together as its charity partner over the past year!”

The independently owned motor retailer is one of many AM100 dealer groups to make a significant charity donation. Last month, a Bristol Street Motors sales executive raised almost £10,500 after completing a gruelling 12-day trek through the Himalayan Mountains.

Donnelly Group returned to profit in 2020 after delivering £7.2 million of annualised structural cost savings during the COVID-hit year in car retail.

The car retail group achieved a pre-tax operating profit of £1.46 million, according to accounts filed at Companies House for the year ending 31 December 2020.

The result represented a near-155% improvement on 2019’s £2.66m pre-tax loss.