Motorists provide vital support for blind and partially sighted people through petrol pump donations
Posters at Rontec-owned filling stations advertised the campaign
Thousands of motorists across the UK have raised vital funds to help blind and partially sighted people live their best lives by making donations when they fill up at petrol pumps.
Drivers took on the challenge after the Rontec chain of 267 petrol stations chose to raise the funds for leading sight loss charity The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) via Pennies donations at the till. Rontec has partnered with Pennies, the trusted leader in micro-donations, since 2014, to offer their customers the opportunity to give to charity when they pay.
During the campaign for RNIB, customers paying by card or contactless at the Esso, Shell and BP stations were asked to make a small additional donation on top of the cost of their goods. In total they raised more than £52,000.
The funds will support RNIB services for blind and partially sighted people including our dedicated helpline, Eye Care Liaison Officers in NHS eye clinics and Talk and Support phoneline groups.
RNIB Chief Executive Matt Stringer said: “At RNIB, we aim to ensure everyone with sight loss can live the life they want to lead, without limits. This means making sure many more people with long-term eye health conditions are offered person-centred practical and emotional support. It also means blind and partially sighted people can access skills for day-to-day life and can make spontaneous journeys and travel the way they[JC1] want to. We can’t do this without generous support from members of the public.
“RNIB is also incredibly grateful to our President, Dame Gail Ronson DBE, and her husband, Sir Gerald Ronson CBE, who made the Rontec partnership possible.”
Pennies CEO Alison Hutchinson CBE, added: “We are delighted to have helped support RNIB once again through Pennies micro-donations. Since 2014, Rontec customers have been so generous, making their micro-donations at the till and contributing valuable income to fantastic causes like RNIB, whose work means so much to people living with sight loss.”
Pennies has now reached the huge landmark of surpassing 285 million micro-donations across all of its partners.
The charity has estimated that micro-donations present an ambitious but achievable opportunity to inject an annual £1bn into the UK charity sector – if every UK card holder gave just 35p a week.
For more information about RNIB's fundraising activities, click here