Posted: 27/05/10
Benn's designs will travel far for charity
A graphic design student at West Nottinghamshire College is celebrating after his artwork was chosen to support a national blood cancer charity.
Benn Perry, 18, from Mansfield, has won a competition to re-design the livery on a vehicle used by fundraiser and leukaemia patient Andy Ward.
Andy, a medical equipment technician at King’s Mill Hospital, has raised thousands of pounds for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research since being diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in 2006.
Andy, from Sleaford, has completed a host of money-spinning challenges in his beloved ‘Scarlett’, a 23-year-old Volkswagen Scirocco, and trailer made from the chassis of an old vehicle including a high-profile ‘Scirocco to Morocco’ journey to the African country in 2008.
He also uses the vehicle to promote the charity’s work at events across the UK, giving advice and information from the specially-adapted trailer.
To mark the charity’s 50th anniversary and recent name change (from Leukaemia Research), students were invited to come up with eye-catching designs to complement the new logo ready to be emblazoned on Andy’s car.
Benn’s ‘swoosh’ was selected as the top design and is now sitting pretty on the Scirocco and trailer, along with the logos for the charity and West Nottinghamshire College after being professionally-applied in vinyl by Pawprint Graphics of Newark.
Benn said: “I’d like to embark on a career specialising in designing graphics for vehicles, so this is a really proud starting point for me.”
Emma Macdonald, Midlands’ regional fundraiser at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: “Benn’s designs were chosen as they have real flow, creativity and style that fit in perfectly with our new branding. The designs look really stunning and he should feel very proud, as the car is seen by thousands of people during Andy’s fundraising tours.”
Andy added: “I take Scarlet and the trailer to lots of charitable events up and down the country and they always receive loads of attention. Now that Benn’s designs have been incorporated along with the charity’s new logo, it’s looking better than ever.”
To find out how to become a sponsor for Scarlet and to see more of Andy’s fundraising car, visit www.scirocco2morocco.blogspot.com
Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research is the only UK charity solely dedicated to research into blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The charity was previously known as Leukaemia Research and has changed its name to raise awareness of its longstanding commitment to research into all the blood cancers - not just leukaemia.
It is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and its expertise and focus enables the charity to invest in only the best UK research into better diagnosis, treatments and cures. As the charity receives no government funding and relies entirely on voluntary support, it needs to raise £120 million in the next five years to continue this life-saving research.
Further information, including patient information booklets, is available from www.llresearch.org.uk or on 020 7405 0101.
