How a secret whip-round helped an Evri delivery driver back behind the wheel

An Evri driver who had to quit her job when her car broke down was stunned to learn her loyal customers had secretly raised the money to buy her a new vehicle.

Ann West, 59, has worked for the delivery company for two decades but has served customers in and around Shorne for the past six years.
When her car broke down last month, she couldn’t afford repairs or a new car and made the difficult decision to leave her job.

Unbeknownst to Ann, who looks after her two granddaughters, aged 8 and 14, her grateful customers had hatched a plan to raise money to get her back on her feet.

The fundraising page, called “Ann’s community car fund” was set up on June 9, and within three days it had already reached over £1,500. As of today, 85 people have donated, bringing the total to £3,620.

This week, Ann was reunited with some of the community members who’d contributed, and the funds raised were transferred into her account. If you’d like to contribute, click here.

Reacting to the surprise fundraiser, she said: “I was really shocked, and it brought a little tear to my eye. It was definitely a surprise – a nice surprise. When they got me on a group call to say that they had a “little something” for me, I was shocked that they had raised money for a car.

“I couldn’t afford to hire a car any longer, I did hire a car for a week but then that was nearly £300 just for four or five days. And I couldn’t really afford to get another car. So, there was nothing I could do. You need a car to do the delivery. So I had to say, sorry I’ve got to go.”

She filled out a courier’s form online to say she no longer wanted to deliver, and that was the end of it – or so she thought. On her last day at work, the 59-year-old had spoken to Shorne resident of 35 years, Nigel Miller, about the fact she was leaving because of car issues. From here, those living in Pear Tree Road exchanged messages in their community group about Ann’s absence and a decision was made after a vote that people would like to donate.

Nigel put in the chat: “Does anyone fancy a whip-round to help?’ “And that’s where it started,” he laughed.

Nova added: “You can do something small, but with everybody doing it, you can raise quite a bit of money. Hopefully, this might start off a trend for other people and have a positive impact in the community.”

The group say they were mindful that if Ann didn’t want her round back, she was more than welcome to use the funds for other means, however the grandmother is keener than ever to get back to work and continue serving the local community.

After being told about the funds for a new car, Ann contacted her Evri field manager, who confirmed she could have her round back – much to her relief. The grandmother says she is so thankful to everyone who has shown their support.

Andrew added: “I hope that people don’t just see it as just a fundraiser, I hope they see it as a way to actually bring the community together, achieve something. And now look – we’ve got Ann back.”

Once she’s purchased the car, she hopes to get back on the road by the end of the month. And it’s all thanks to one idea from the community which has truly delivered.
Andrew Karim, who lives in Shorne and runs a green technology firm Active Kinetic 1, set up the online fundraising page so that everyone could contribute. He said: “It’s brought our community together and made us a lot closer. All the voting [on what to do], conversations and making it happen.’

Nigel added: “Ann supports the community and it’s nice when the community can support her. It shows the power of that. But she is a lovely lady, she really is. She’s not just someone that throws a parcel at you and walks away. She’s always there in all weathers, weekends, whatever, and you can’t help but get to know her.”

Nova Molloy, who also contributed, said: “I think it shows what an impact Ann made. It was nice to give back because times are tough for everybody – but it’s nice to do something and to actually see an impact.”

Those behind the crowdfunding hope this story will show others how they can help members of their community who might fall on hard times or face a similar situation.