Leading minor automotive paintwork repairer ChipsAway has launched a year- long fundraising campaign in aid of Help for Heroes, its adopted charity for 2010, marking the company’s fifteenth successful year in the UK.

The campaign, which will involve a series of events held nationwide, is expected to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the charity and has the enthusiastic support of Vicki Butler-Henderson,  popular presenter of TV’s Fifth Gear programme and the newly unveiled ‘face of ChipsAway’ for 2010.

“We are encouraging our franchisees to ‘get involved’ all across the country,” explains Lloyd Evans, Chief Executive of ChipsAway. “There will be exciting prizes on offer throughout the year for those franchisees with the most creative and crazy fundraising ideas, as well as for the top fundraisers. The ultimate prize at the end of the fundraising year will be a date with Vicki Butler-Henderson, who is a terrific sport and a great supporter of this most deserving charity.”
 
Vicki Butler-Henderson, best known to her fans as ‘VBH’, is Channel Five’s lively presenter of car enthusiasts’ favourite programme Fifth Gear. She is also a well respected journalist, and a successful racing driver and instructor. This year she will be endorsing ChipsAway services as part of a co-ordinated national marketing campaign, aimed at raising awareness of the brand and supporting franchisees in generating business on their local territories.

Help for Heroes is an organisation formed to help  those who have been wounded in Britain’s current conflicts, providing direct, practical support to wounded servicemen and women and their families.

Vicki Butler-Henderson said: “Help for Heroes is a fantastic cause. I’m really pleased to be able to support ChipsAway in raising funds for the charity. I will be looking forward to going for dinner with the top ChipsAway fundraiser at their end of the charity year.”

Franchisee’s ideas for fundraising include wearing wellies full of jelly for the day, soaking in a bath of baked beans and a sponsored waxing! Others will be doing sponsored runs, bike rides, the Three Peaks Challenge and charity fashion shows.

The first prize up for grabs for fundraiser franchisees is a parachute jump with the famous Red Devils.

The management team at ChipsAway is also doing its bit for Help for Heroes and has already raised over £6000.  A group of colleagues from  ChipsAway’s Head Office, dubbed ‘The Chipettes,’ raised £2,500 by running the Bath Half Marathon, whilst the company’s Gala Anniversary Dinner, which was attended by ChipsAway franchisees, employees and business partners, kicked off the fundraising effort, raising a fabulous £3,700.