Charity Volkswagen Convoy Delivers Presents to Hospital Unit

A pre-Christmas convoy, comprising over 60 Volkswagen vehicles filled with gifts, was organized to bring cheer to children in a hospital’s cancer unit. The annual charity Santarun saw the vans and cars assemble at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. Participants, along with their dogs, adorned costumes, and each vehicle was decorated before receiving a send-off for their journey to Southampton. The gifts were delivered to The Piam Brown unit, located at University Hospital Southampton, which functions as an oncology and haematology centre providing care for children aged birth to 16 years. Phill Ashby, a VW van driver, initiated this event 12 years prior. He stated, “One of my family friend’s their daughter was being treated in the Piam Brown unit. I felt a bit useless and I thought I had to do something.” Lady Edwina Grosvenor, herself a Volkswagen enthusiast, presented awards for the most impressively decorated vehicle, dog, and family. The 60 vehicles, a diverse collection including Beetles, Golfs, Caddys, T4s, and T5s, formed a line at the motor museum before commencing their journey to the hospital, passing through Palace House in Beaulieu. Within twenty-five minutes, they arrived at the Southampton hospital to unload hundreds of presents. Sally Hillyear, Director of fundraising at Southampton Hospitals Charity, commented that the gifts would significantly enhance the children’s hospital experience. She further added, “We’ll make sure that every child in hospital this year has a present and then we will be working very closely with Southampton City Council to make sure that children in care in our wider communities will also receive a gift.”