ADIs Bobbie Hicks and Susan McDonald have set up a fund and already raised over £20,000 to help other ADIs and PDIs who are struggling during the current pandemic. Can you help?

The fund is to counteract the fallout from the pandemic and the national lockdowns. These are difficult times, especially true for those who have fallen through the cracks of government support schemes. This is about Driving Instructors helping each other.

The scheme is asking ADIs and Driving Schools to donate as little as £1 (more if possible). With around 39,000 ADIs on the register, just a £1 donation by everyone could build a substantial pot.

Funding Hope

NASP, the driver training representative partnership, are “delighted to be supporting the new fund”. They will be involved in overseeing the administration and fund giving, and are also donating a significant sum to help ensure the fund’s success and longevity. Their participation brings organisational skills and fundraising power, which will undoubtedly help the fund secure its position in the industry.

So far the fund has raised over £10,000 in individual donations, but this has been doubled by insurance company Marmalade, raising the total to over £20,000 in under two months! The national associations of NASP are also making a sizeable donation. But more is needed, so if you can help, then please do.

Donations can be made by following this link.  All donations, no matter how big or small, will be gratefully accepted to help this very valuable cause.

Looking For Help

Small, one-off financial grants of up to £500 per individual are available from the fund. ADIs will need to evidence extreme financial hardship. A strict criteria applies, with all applications considered by a panel consisting of NASP members along with Bobbie and Susan. The identity of any applicants will remain anonymous throughout.

An independent auditor (not an ADI) will be overseeing, monitoring and auditing the income, expenditure and accounts.

No expenses will be taken by the organisers or by the panel, with all monies used wholly for helping those in need.

Payments will be made via bank transfer into the recipients’ bank accounts.

The Inspiration

Susan McDonald is a self-employed Driving Instructor from Billingham in Teesside.  A single parent since her partner died in 2006, she turned to driver training to find flexible employment. Alongside this, she has volunteered for a number of charities for over 30 years:

“During the first lockdown I noticed a lot of ADI/PDI’s were saying how much they were struggling to make ends meet as they were not entitled to any financial help and were unable to earn a living due to restrictions imposed.  Some of these people were really struggling and seemed quite desperate. 

“In November, as we entered a second lockdown, I noticed a lot of people again starting to worry about how they were going to survive yet another lockdown without help and started to think of a way I could help.  I decided to ask a small Facebook group for their opinion on setting up a fund to help the ‘forgotten ones’ and found that many people were willing to donate.  Bobbie Hicks got in touch with me and we discussed how this could be possible and if the fund could actually help people and we decided it was ‘worth a try’ so together we set up a Go Fund Me page.  Within the first few days the fund had raised almost £300.   

Bobbie Hicks has been a driving instructor for 27 years, during that time she also trained as an Accident Investigator and a Fleet trainer:

“For a while during the second lockdown, I was thinking about setting up a Go Fund me page to help all the ADI’s and PDI’s whose stories I was coming across on Facebook. I saw Susan McDonald’s post about a similar idea and contacted her and this project was started. It seems like a scary thing to do, but we cannot live in fear. We took the bull by the preverbal horns and launched the Go Fund me page.”

A United Drive

Applications are now being accepted by email to: [email protected]. 

Once your interest in applying has been registered, an application form will be sent to you.

Some of the.FAQs regarding the fund can be viewed here  (a website will be open soon).

Donations can still be made by following this link.  All donations, no matter how big or small, will be gratefully accepted .