Win a Car 2014

Win a Car 2014

RNLI launches this year’s annual charity Win A Car event

Eastbourne Arndale Centre’s annual Win A Car charity Christmas draw is launched today by Eastbourne Lifeboats.

Fundraisers from the charity, that is part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, will be in the Centre selling £1 tickets that will give one lucky winner the chance to win a brand new Suzuki Splash, worth more than £9,000, for Christmas.

The white MPV 5 door SZ2, which has been bought by the Arndale Centre from Eastbourne Motoring Centre, has ABS brakes, multi air bags, leather steering wheel, remote central locking, MP3 compatible CD/radio plus exemption from road tax for the first year.

Eastbourne Lifeboats is the first of 48 charities who will be in the Centre during the event which runs until Christmas Eve when the winning ticket will be chosen. Every penny from the sale of tickets goes directly to the charities that have benefited from a staggering £250,000 since the launch of Win A Car in 2000.

Eastbourne Lifeboats currently operate an all-weather lifeboat ‘Diamond Jubilee’ and an inshore lifeboat ‘Laurence and Percy Hobbs’. Last year it was the RNLI’s busiest coastal station with 116 call outs and is on course to be the busiest again this year.

Earlier this year, one of its high profile launches was to help fight the devastating fire that took hold of Eastbourne Pier.

With every launch of the offshore lifeboat costing £8,000 and the inshore lifeboat just under £3,000, the charity constantly needs to fundraise.

Coxswain Mark Sawyer said: “We’re delighted to be launching this year’s Win A Car event. As a charity we can’t function without events like this and without the public’s support we wouldn’t exist so we’re very grateful for everyone who comes in to buy a ticket on Friday.”

Coxswain Mark Sawyer
Bill Plumridge, Mark Sawyer and Oliver Hodges

Eastbourne Arndale Centre Manager Bill Plumridge said: “This is a fantastic charity to launch this year’s event. We hope as many people as possible will come into the Centre before Christmas to buy their ticket and stand a chance of winning a brand new car!”

Bill Plumridge, Manager of The Beacon

Charities who will be in the Centre for the coming week are: RNLI (today); Rotary Club of Eastbourne (Saturday); Special Olympics (Sunday); Eastbourne Talking Newspaper (Monday); Queen Alexandra Cottage Homes (Tuesday); Age Concern Eastbourne (Wednesday); East Sussex CRUSE (Thursday).