Tiger Trailers had the pleasure of supporting Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley last week with a Road Trip to remember. In support of the Road Haulage Association’s National Lorry Week, Tiger Trailers along with other partners, put on an interactive and memorable day celebrating the work of Derian Hospice, as well as promoting road safety in the community. Those who use and rely on Derian facilities were also given the opportunity to have their hand in leaving a lasting and personal mark on one of Tiger’s rental trailers, and raise important awareness for the Hospice.
A group of children, family members, Tiger employees and industry partners braved the weather and travelled to Derian House to see the unveiling of a brand-new Tiger curtainsider trailer, decorated with drawings by and photos of some of the children from the Hospice, to mark 30 years of essential care.
It was smiles all round when the children saw their colourful trucks, planes, buses, and trains digitally scanned onto the livery of one of Tiger’s trailers, with each name under their design. Ellie Smith, Community Fundraiser at Derian, was thrilled the efforts of Derian children were being publicly celebrated: “It was great to see how the truck brought smiles to our children and families. We are hugely grateful to Tiger Trailers for their amazing support and generosity. The truck looks fantastic and the awareness it will bring will make a huge difference to our families”.
The trailer is set to be attached to Tiger Rentals’ fleet, whereby customers will be able to hire the trailer under the campaign title ‘Hire it for Derian!’, with profits donated to Derian House, as well as through JustGiving donations made via a QR code on the trailer.
The equally distinct Derian-branded Volvo truck, custom designed by Thomas Hardie Commercials – is used in a similar way, inviting every customer who hires it to make a voluntary donation to the Hospice.
The celebration brought together several other players from the haulage industry and allowed them to support Derian families and children. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) kindly sent down a contingent from their depot in Scotland, along with one of their trucks to park up next to the Derian Trailer.
That wasn’t all: they also managed to break out a truck simulator from its usual home in Glasgow Transport Museum, and set this up for attendees to try out. Even Tiger Trailers’ mascot Tiger Ted tried his luck at some bay parking!
Tiger Safety Team (TST) volunteers gave some demonstrations from their ‘STOP. LOOK. BE SEEN’ programme, an HGV-related safety course which Tiger has been bringing into schools and institutions around the North West since its inception in 2021. The Derian truck and trailer were positioned on the day to demonstrate blind zones to children, with members of the Safety Team running through pointers from the Green Cross Code, with the help of a purpose-made zebra crossing teaching pedestrians when and where to cross next to lorries and large vehicles.
Alison Cartwright, CSR Manager as Tiger trailers believes the partnership between road haulage contributors and a charity like Derian Hospice was a fitting display of the RHA’s campaign ambitions to bring together industry partners to engage and educate school children, and members of the community.
In her speech, during which a model of the truck and trailer was donated to the Hospice, Alison Cartwright was quick to praise the children for the creative input, and thank all contributors – from drivers to decal makers – for their efforts to put on a celebratory and informative day, at the confluence of the charity and haulage sectors: “We are all overwhelmed by the final design – the children’s artwork is amazing. We just know that anyone who looks at this trailer will be moved by what Derian House does for its families. We hope it will raise vital funding for this fantastic charity, and that today has also given each of you an insight into the importance of road safety”.
Derian House Children’s Hospice is a charity which provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 children and young people across the North West. It does so 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and extends its support to family members of its users.
Thomas Hardie Commercials Ltd is the main distributor for Volvo Truck, Bus & Coach in the North West of England, North Wales and Lancashire. Since 2021, the company has supported Derian House Children’s Hospice after launching a ‘Drive it for Derian’ charitable campaign featuring the dealer’s first Volvo FH Globetrotter demonstrator. Thomas Hardie’s road transport customers hire the cab and make a donation for doing so. Earlier this year, to mark Derian House celebrating its 30th year in 2023, Thomas Hardie introduced a rebranded Globetrotter featuring a livery designed by Ellie Biggs, 11, who won the design competition. Tiger Trailers and Thomas Hardie have collaborated on road safety projects since 2021.
Tiger Trailers is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of articulated semi-trailers and rigid bodywork. Based in Cheshire and soon celebrating its 10th year in business, the firm builds the complete range, from curtainsiders to box vans. Tiger’s CSR activities include working with The Prince’s Trust, Women in Transport, the RHA, emergency services, and Cheshire Community Foundation, while the Tiger Safety Team delivers its ‘STOP, LOOK, BE SEEN’ road safety programme into schools and institutions.
