'Joker Buggy' raffle helps raise £18k for children's charities
A television motor restoration shop which runs an annual car raffle in aid of children's projects has raised more than £18,000 for good causes this year.
Santa's a Gangster is the charitable arm of Oldbury-based Volks Magic garage which features on a number of TV shows.
This year proprietor Lee Southerton and his team have collected donations of thousands of toys and cash which are then passed on to children's charities in the region.
In addition the Volkswagen restoration garage, in Park Lane, Oldbury, have revamped a VW 'Joker Buggy' which was raffled to boost the money raised.
The purple coloured beach buggy, built on a 1975 VW Beetle, was previously owned by late mechanic Jim Cousin, from Pershore,who was known as 'The Joker' in the trade due to his sense of humour.
After he died, aged 41, in 2019 his wife Louise donated it to Santa's a Gangster which completed the revamp with the help of award-winning tattoo artist Simon Cook from Inkspot, in Staffordshire.
Mr Southerton, aged 52, of Bilston, explains: "We did what Jim never got time to do and restored the 'Joker Buggy' as a tribute to him. I painted Jim in great big letters on the bottom like Andy from Toy Story did to his toys.
"We have taken the buggy all around to different shows this year raising funds to buy gifts for less fortunate children."
"This year we have managed to donate 7,345 gifts to good causes including Birmingham Children's Trust, and Oldbury-based 4 Community Trust which was set up for families in crisis," Mr Southerton, also known as 'Magic', says.
The buggy raffle draw was live-streamed at an event at the Crosswells Inn, in Whyley Walk, Langley, and the lucky winner was Jason Wigley from Wales.
The buggy was displayed at music and community shows across the region including V Dubs in the Valley VW Show, in Shropshire, where Santa's a Gangster also runs a fundraising auction.
"I couldn't do this without the guys, the partners and the families. We're very proud of what we've achieved with Santa's a Gangster," he adds.
Volks Magic appears on programmes including Salvage Hunters and Wheeler Dealers.
