Brighouse company pledges significant funds to help trust support dementia sufferers

The donation will help HGCT to finally open the doors to its £35,000 ‘Multi-Sensory Room’, which was installed last month, following three years of fundraising efforts.

Located at The Zone, off St Andrews Road, the facility has been installed to create a safe, interactive space for users.

Suitable for babies, children with additional needs and dementia sufferers, the room is able to create passive or immersive experiences which aid cognition, life development and brain stimulation.

The Brighouse-based business, which is the largest manufacturer of ambulances and fire vehicles in the UK, is chaired and managed by local duo Ken Davy and CEO Oliver North.

Speaking about Venari’s commitment to HGCT, Group CEO Oliver North, said: “At Venari, we see every day the positive and life-changing impact that technology has on lives. So, after realising the facility wouldn’t open until HGCT had raised additional funds for the salary of a member of staff, we felt obliged to help. We knew that the community would benefit from it being open as soon as possible, at a time when lockdown has negatively impacted so many lives.

"Clearly, the charity is extremely close to Ken’s heart, and mine too, after losing my grandmother to dementia in 2018. It is Venari’s absolute privilege to be able to play a small part in supporting such a fantastic and worthy cause; whilst creating a job within the community.”

Alongside covering the cost of a part-time member of staff, Venari Group is also pledging to pay for additional equipment.

Lisa Darwin, CEO of HGCT, said: “At HGCT we have been extremely excited about the Multi-Sensory project for a while. Our fundraising efforts supported our passion to offer a safe and multi-purpose environment for users. The generosity from Venari Group and Oliver is an incredible gesture that will help support the delivery of our programmes to the local and surrounding community.

“This has been a testing year with all the restrictions but once these are lifted, we cannot wait to offer our new and exciting service.”