Taxi firm's donation to charity
Go Carz, the private hire taxi operator, has made a significant cash donation to a charity which supports women and their children who are vulnerable to domestic abuse and homelessness.
The Haven in Wolverhampton, established in 1973, offers women and children somewhere safe, warm and welcoming where they can come to terms with the trauma they have experienced.
There was a 60 per cent increase in traffic to the charity’s website during the first three weeks of the UK’s first lockdown, during which The Haven, like many other charities, suffered a drop in donations due to having to cancel all upcoming fundraising events, which the services they run rely upon.
As the private hire taxi firm – part of the Veezu Group – promotes safety throughout all its operations and driver partners often hear first-hand from vulnerable women and children, the business has stepped in to help out.
Graham Hoof, regional director of Go Carz, said: “The Haven offers invaluable support within the local community and lockdown has been especially challenging for many within abusive relationships.
“The charity has felt the impact of the pandemic because of volunteers having to self-isolate or because of staff sickness, and the same goes for fundraisers trying to raise donations, while socially distancing.
“We therefore hope this cash donation will go some small way to alleviate the pressures on the charity.”
'Delighted'
Hayley Powell, senior community fundraiser at The Haven, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this donation during these ongoing difficult times.
"Having recently entered another lockdown, it is vital we can ensure our services remain open and available to women and their children in desperate need of fleeing abuse and homelessness.
“With the majority of our fundraising events remaining cancelled, we are relying on our local community and companies like Go Carz to ensure we can keep funding services like our helpline and refuges. We are so very grateful for their support.”
Veezu was also one of the first transport companies to introduce additional health and hygiene measures this year to make journeys as safe as possible for all passengers and driver-partners.
The measures, designed to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, include specialist cleaning regimes, in-vehicle protective screens, the wearing of face coverings and passengers sitting in the rear of the vehicle.
Go Carz is the sixth biggest private hire brand in the UK. It has been established for more than 21 years and operates from its Shrewsbury head office with regional offices in Telford, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Willenhall.
The Haven helps vulnerable women and children develop essential skills and confidence to remove themselves from abusive situations and has a range of communal refuges and dispersed safe housing across Wolverhampton.
It offers several support services, including criminal justice support and resettlement programmes, to help women and children recover and rebuild a life free from the trauma of abuse.
