Boroughbridge community charity marks 50 years with new electric car

Boroughbridge Community Charity is celebrating 50 years of supporting local people with the acquisition of a new fully electric Kia car, which will be used to transport clients to hospital appointments and other essential visits.

Long-time supporter of the charity, Reed Boardall, is helping to keep the new vehicle on the road by providing a free charging facility at its Boroughbridge site. The food distribution business has a long history of backing the organisation through donations and other practical help.

Boroughbridge Community Charity, which supports local residents and communities across more than 30 villages, was initially set up to provide transport for people who were no longer able to get around independently. The organisation also has two mini-buses and a pool of volunteer drivers as well as providing access to a community food larder, holding social events and exercise classes and offering support with digital issues.

Marcus Boardall, chief executive of Reed Boardall, said: “Over the last 50 years, this valuable charity has helped thousands of local people, including many of the families of our 800-strong team here in Boroughbridge. We are proud to have played a part in its success and wish it well for the future.”

Jon Foster, trustee of Boroughbridge Community Charity, said: “Knowing how supportive Reed Boardall has been over the years, we approached them as we were struggling to find somewhere close to the town centre to park and charge the vehicle. The company very generously offered not only a home for the Kia, but also free charging facilities, which we were not expecting. As a big local employer, this is another great demonstration of Reed Boardall’s support for the community and testimony to the values of the company.”

Karen Parker, strategy manager of Boroughbridge Community Charity, added: “We really appreciate the support of local businesses like Reed Boardall as we continue to find ways of extending our services and helping even more local people in need. We are now a community anchor organisation, recognised by North Yorkshire Council as a place-based systems partner to improve community wellbeing and resilience. This will enable us to link with other community-led groups and work together to address social, economic and health challenges facing people in the area.”

Reed Boardall is one of the largest temperature-controlled food distribution businesses in the UK, storing and delivering frozen food from manufacturers across Britain, Europe and further afield to all the UK’s best-known supermarkets. With a fleet of over 200 vehicles operating 24 hours a day, year round, it delivers 12,000 pallets of frozen food daily for its clients as well as providing a range of complementary services including ancillary blast freezing, picking and packing. The company employs almost 800 staff at its single site in Boroughbridge, Yorkshire.