The Co-operative Motor Group Scores for Richard and Overgate

Staff at The Co-operative Motor Group paid tribute to their late colleague Richard Carter with a charity football tournament – and raised £867 for Overgate Hospice in Elland.

Richard, senior service manager at the Peugeot Keighley dealership, died last year aged 46, after working for The Co-operative Motor Group for 21 years.

Employees, family and friends formed 12 five-a-side teams vying for victory in the day-long event at the Goal Centre, Leeds. Fittingly, Richard’s two sons Adam, 23 and Thomas, 21, were on the winning team, cheered on from the sidelines by their mum Sandra.

Sandra said: “It was a wonderful day in honour of Richard and we were delighted with the substantial donation from The Co-operative Motor Group, which will be used for catering costs at Overgate Hospice where he died.

“Having had first-hand experience of the fantastic work done by the highly dedicated staff the hospice, we were so pleased to be able to give something back.”

Sandra is now one of 100 volunteers at Overgate, working one-day a week to support the 12-bed centre, which also provides places for 12 day-care patients.

It costs £1.8m a year – or £4,000 a day – to run the hospice but only 17 per cent of this is funded by the Primary Care Trust. Contributions from local people and businesses are therefore vital in keeping it open.
 
Stewart Cummings, human resources manager at The Co-operative Motor Group said: “Richard was a very popular colleague who is sadly missed and it was good to be able to pay tribute to him in this way.

“As part of The Co-operative, The Co-operative Motor Group is committed to investing in our local communities, and it’s our plan is to continue to hold the football tournament every year from now on, both in memory of Richard and in support of the excellent care provided by Overgate Hospice.”