Member Article

Following in his footsteps, Opus Motor Group announce Charity of the year as GNAAS

Opus Motor Group, formerly a part of Jennings Motor Group has announced their charity of the year as The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). The motor group which operates Stockton Kia as well as Leeds and Gateshead Harley-Davidson® will be following in the footsteps of former Managing Director the late Dr Nas Khan OBE, who was widely recognised for his charitable efforts throughout the North East as well as Pakistan.

Sohail Khan, Managing Director of Opus Motor Group, commented “We are overjoyed to be supporting such an honourable charity as the Great North Air Ambulance Service again, this time as Opus Motor Group. The Covid-19 crisis has hit all of us incredibly hard, but the GNAAS rely on charitable donations to continue saving lives, which is why we are so dedicated to raising as much as we possibly can, through various activities and events for this fantastic cause.”

GNAAS is a registered charity operating a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the North of England, including the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria, and the Scottish borders. The non-government funded charity operates 4 aircraft out of their bases at Langwathby, Urlay Nook, Eaglescliffe and Newcastle International Airport.

Leya Baksh, corporate fundraising officer at GNAAS said: “We are delighted to have Opus Motor Group supporting our charity again. Having worked with them in the past we know just how committed they are to supporting local charities. To have them choose to fundraise for us again is fantastic! We’re looking forward to seeing what activities the team get involved with this year, and they can feel proud knowing that the money they raise will help our critical care team continue to deliver world-class pre-hospital care to those in need.”

Fundraising efforts will be kicked off by 4 of the vehicle technicians at Stockton Kia, James Warnock, Tom Donninson, David Soulsby, and Matthew Wright who will take part in the GNAAS Race to the Base challenge. The team will complete the challenge on bike by riding 130 miles in the month of March, the distance it takes from the RVI Hospital in Newcastle to both of the charities airbases and back again. A dedicated JustGiving page has been set up for this challenge and can be found on the Stockton Kia Facebook page.

James Warnock, Vehicle Technician and MOT Tester said “The four of us are delighted to be taking part in The Race to the Base. We have all been making a conscious effort to get out on our bikes more, what better motivation is there than to raise much-needed funds for a fantastic charity. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.”

We are very much looking forward to working with GNAAS with fundraising activities and events continuing throughout the year at Opus Motor Group and as lockdown restrictions lift, extending to wider community involvement.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by emily coxon .