Staff at Bowker BMW have donated over 50 gifts to The Wish Centre – a refuge for women and children affected by domestic abuse

The gift collection focused on a ‘Gifting Tree’ in the reception area at Bowker BMW on Trident Way in Blackburn. The tree was decorated with tags, each featuring information about a current resident of The Wish Centre. 

Visitors and staff were encouraged to take a tag and replace it with a present for the individual, described as a gesture of support and goodwill. 

For Bowker BMW managing director Chris Eccles said: “This initiative is a meaningful way for our community to directly support those in need, especially during the festive season. We hope that the simple act of giving a gift will help to spread some seasonal goodwill for the lives of the residents at The Wish Centre”

The Wish Centre’s primary goal is to provide assistance to those who have experienced or are at risk of domestic abuse. This includes offering support, advice, and accommodation, as well as working with victims and their families to ensure safety and aid in their overall development and well-being.

For the Wish Centre, Rebekah Wilson said: “We are very grateful for Bowker BMW’s support. The centre aims to empower and assist individuals affected by domestic abuse to grow and reach their full potential. The support from initiatives like the Gifting Tree is a step in the right direction, especially at a time when support from those closest to us is so important.”

For more information about The Wish Centre and its services, visit www.thewishcentre.org

Staff from Bowker BMW in Preston have joined forces to donate presents to this year’s ‘Give a Gift’ campaign. The campaign, organised by the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, aims to provide Christmas gifts to patients in hospital during the festive season.

The ‘Give a Gift’ campaign runs every Christmas to ensure that all Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital patients of all ages receive a gift on Christmas Day. The campaign’s primary goal is to offer comfort and a sense of community to those in hospital during a period traditionally spent with family.

Bowker director Jonathan Rogan said: “The ‘Give a Gift’ campaign is a great idea. We were pleased to support hospital patients facing challenging times during the holiday season. It struck a chord with Bowker staff, too. Everyone got involved with many generous donations.”

Stagecoach donated a bus for the charity team to visit Bowker and other workplaces, businesses, and schools to collect gifts from across Preston and beyond. The items they collected included gift sets, toiletries, books, stationery, and children’s toys – a little bit of everything for patients of different ages and needs.

In addition to physical gifts, the charity also welcomed monetary donations, suggesting a contribution of £5.00 to fund a gift for a patient. This aspect of the campaign provided an alternative means for individuals to contribute, broadening the participation base.

From Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, Dan Hill, Head of Charities, said: “Thank you to Bowker BMW and their staff for supporting this year’s ‘Give a Gift’ campaign. The generosity of businesses and the wider community greatly affects our efforts. No one chooses to be in hospital at Christmas. So, a gift can help to let patients know we’re thinking about them. It’s not just about the gifts, but the message of care and compassion.”

Once donated, the charity carefully manages the distribution of gifts in collaboration with clinical staff. This means the right gifts are distributed to the correct wards. Last year’s ‘Give a Gift’ supplied over 800 gifts to patients.

Bowker Motor Group in Blackburn and Preston has appointed a new Group Buyer.

Paul Hattersley from Bolton joins with buying responsibilities for BMW and MINI centres. Paul will source pre-owned BMWs and MINIs, ensuring the best choice for Bowker customers.

Paul joins Bowker Motor Group from Swansway Group, where he has been the Used Car Sales Manager since 2019. He brings almost 20 years of experience to the role at Bowker with an automotive retail career spanning several key positions. Paul has enjoyed key sales and management roles at Perrys Peugeot, Williams MINI Bolton and Marshall Mercedes in Bolton.

Paul said: “I am thrilled to join Bowker Motor Group as the Used Car Group Buyer for Bowker BMW and MINI. I live locally and know all about the well-known Bowker family from working in the automotive sector for so long. It’s an exciting new chapter in my career, and I’m looking forward to working alongside the Bowker team.”

Paul’s group role will see the group buying function integrated across the Preston and Blackburn sites. This follows a similar successful change to Bowker sales, which was restructured in 2021 to develop key management roles with Group responsibilities. 

Bowker director Chris Eccles said: “We are delighted to welcome Paul Hattersley to our team at Bowker Motor Group. His extensive experience and expertise in the automotive industry, especially in luxury car sales, make him an invaluable addition to our group. 

“Paul has an exciting new role. We have already seen the benefits of creating group roles in car sales. With Paul’s expert lead, we now expect to streamline our buying processes and maximise value for the group.”

Away from work, Paul coaches his daughter’s football team, and he is a Bolton Wanderers season ticket holder.

The BMW Vision Neue Klasse – The future of BMW. Featuring a clear, elegant and timeless in its design, with large surfaces, distinctive lines, all reduced to the essentials. A fresh interpretation of the brand’s signature design elements transform the look of the vehicle, such as the kidney grille and headlights. 3D animated lighting effects provide intuitive interaction between the owner and the vehicle when they approach the car

“The BMW Vision Neue Klasse combines our ability to innovate in the core areas of electrification, digitalisation and circularity,” says Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “In this way, we are always able to stay two steps ahead of the future: The Neue Klasse is already bringing the mobility of the next decade to the roads in 2025 – and leading BMW into a new era.