Bournemouth-based charity for the homeless wins free minibus from Abacus

The Wolfenden family, who own and operate Abacus, the Ferndown-based vehicle hire specialist, has presented a free minibus to Bournemouth-based Michael House, an organisation that provides emergency and longer-term accommodation and other vital support to homeless people and related day services.

Over 150 charities entered the competition to win a minibus after the competition was announced a few months ago. Dave Wolfenden, who founded the hire company in 1985, said that he and his team read through the entries and decided that the local the Michael House team would make the most of the prize.

“It was important to us that the vehicle would be fully used by the winners and having met the team, we are confident that the Ford Transit will be kept busy over the years to come,” said Dave Wolfenden. “We wanted to put something practical back into the society that has made our business successful over the decades.”

The presentation was made to Mark Horsford, the chief executive and John Malins the voluntary financial director from the charity that for over 25 years has supported people who due to their circumstances require encouragement, advice and support in an environment which enables them to gain a greater sense of self-worth and to move towards a more independent life.

“We really appreciate the generosity of the Abacus family. We are now able to take our residents out into the countryside for walks and offer family-style outings without our volunteers having to use a small fleet of cars. Currently, all Michael House residents are fully engaged in education, training, voluntary work and/or employment. Our first expedition – a walk and photography trip to Tyneham – will give them a well-deserved opportunity to refresh and refocus on rebuilding their lives,” said Mark Horsford.