Just over a month ago, I received an enquiry from a local lady whose daughter has Down Syndrome and severe autism. She was asking if she could ‘rent’ a Phantom to take her daughter to her Prom.

Of course, we would never dream of ‘renting’ her anything and agreed for me to collect her daughter on Wednesday evening and for me to take her, her daughter Grace and Grace’s dad to the Prom.

Charlotte immediately volunteered to help me out, organised flowers, a prom gift and some make up for Grace and also came with me on the evening to help out – which was welcome considering there were around 60 people outside the house when we arrived – I’m pretty sure she’d have driven the Phantom herself had she been over 25!

The customer sent Charlotte & I the email below that evening, along with some lovely photos that I'm unable to attach here, but have forwarded to Lara via email. Dear Craig and Charlotte We really can’t thank you enough for the amazing evening you have given Grace (and me and Martin ). The car was amazing,  Grace absolutely loved it and you really went above and beyond with her beautiful gifts and flowers. Grace has spent a fair amount of time in and out of Great Ormond St children's hospital so tonight was a big thing for her. You made it so special. Many many thanks again. Kind regards Jo, Martin and Lady Grace
–

We received a call asking for our help. A lady called Melissa asked if she could bring her son to the dealership. He has HFA (Hi Functioning Autism). She explained he is besotted by Ferrari.

Amrit offered to host Ollie and his family.
They had a great time.
Melissa wrote a lovely post on Instagram as below:

“A huge thank you to Ellie and Amarit today. This is Ollie who has HFA. He is besotted with Ferrari and it was teacher training day. My husband took him to your garage. My husband and Ollie were made to feel welcome the second they walked through the door.

Ellie noticed there was something special about our boy and went above and beyond to make this a really special day. Amrit took him to get some sweets. He came back with a presenter pack given by Ellie and he has not put it down.

My Husband called and he was nearly in tears at just how lovely they both were. From one mum to another I will be eternally grateful for how you made Ollie’s day today after a hard week. Keep doing what you are doing because you really are making a difference more than you know.”

Fiona has recently become the Centre Community/Charity project team leader and has launched new initiatives that have inspired our team to do more community engagement work, Most recently Fiona identified that there were around twenty rough sleepers residing in and around MK train station.

Working closely with Georgia Leggett (a member of our accounts team) they arranged for goody bags containing New Socks. Toothbrush/toothpaste, chocolate, and a thermos mug topped up with hot soup to be given to the rough sleepers. This will not solve the problem of homelessness in our country but it has gone some way to demonstrate that we are aware of them and are concerned for their health and wellbeing.

We had this email come through to the dealership early July. We had no idea who it was until we went on to CCTV and found out it was Rob. Something so simple and kind but clearly meant a lot to this person. Well done Rob!!!

I would like you, if possible, to convey my thanks to one of your employees. I’ll try to keep this bit short. At 08.30 this morning I left B&Q which is around the corner from you carrying 3 tubs of fence paint (36 litres). Not the best idea for a man of nearly 60, I was going to Honda dealership to fetch my car. At 09.00 I reached your dealership, I had to keep stopping to let my heart rate slow down and fingers to start working again. Anyway at 09.00 one of your staff was pulling away from the yard in a grey Maserati, he saw me and stopped, wound his passenger window and asked me if I was ok. I told him what I was doing and why I was struggling and he told me he thought I was having a heart attack and was checking if I needed help, he then offered to let me leave all my fence paint at the dealership so I could fetch my car and come and pick it up. All the way from B&Q to Honda I was in difficulty due to the weight and size of the tubs, (my fault for doing it) but your staff member was the only person who stopped to check on me and make sure I was alright. Please can find him and thank him. He is a credit to your company.

On the way back from a McLaren Lakes tour Andy came across a stranded vehicle…
the pictures sent to Lara say it all

Couldn't believe Andy stopped and sorted it.
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Jordan hosted 10 clients at the recent Challenge Event at Oulton Park.

Jordan did a great job of making sure everyone had a full welcome and joining pack and hosted a busy itinerary in a way that all clients enjoyed and we have had some great feedback. He followed everyone up after the weekend to thank them for coming and to ensure everyone had a great time.

Hi Jordan, Yes we did thank you .. was a late one for you so I hope you had an easy drive home as well.Thank you for inviting us! I have to say the whole experience was fantastic. The hospitality and how you managed a busy day and between guests and race control etc was exceptional. All the guests we spoke with commented on what a good job you did so thank you. It didn’t feel like a hectic schedule from our perspective, though it must have been when you looked at what was going on so well done. It was a very inspirational weekend, and great to experience a bit more of the client racing side of things. I need to understand more about the challenge series for sure, especially now as it’s close to moving over to a new GT3 car. I’ve already had a quick chat with Emily. It’s likely I’ll be in on Saturday with Brook so if you’re about I’ll see you then. Thank you again for a great experience and for being made to feel a part of the wider Ferrari family.
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Feedback from the customer that Andrew met during a road test and fuelling a Lamborghini. Please see below the email sent to the dealership from the customer.

Hi Dominic

I would like to acknowledge one of your members of staff. The member was called Andy and is one of your mechanics.
My son Josh met Andy when he was filling up a Lamborghini at the petrol station.

Josh is 9 and is a really really big fan of Lamborghini. We were on our way back to Edinburgh sick Children’s hospital where Josh has spent the last 17 weeks after having a bleed on his brain which left him paralysed down his right side. He has managed to regain most of his right movement back but not all. He has been through two brain surgeries and was due to be discharged last Friday after a routine scan. Unfortunately on the scan, it picked up an abnormality and he was told he would have to have yet another brain surgery on Wednesday, hence the reason for our return to the hospital.
At the time Josh was so happy to see the car and asked me if he could have a look, I asked your mechanic and he said Josh could but to be careful. I lifted Josh over to see the car, Andy was so nice to him and chatted to us and asked Josh if he liked the car and Lamborghinis. We were chatting and Josh told Andy a bit of what had happened to him.
Andy was so nice and understanding and took time out of his day to show Josh the car and make a young boy’s day. This may not mean a lot to some but to him it really has. It has made him that little bit happier on what’s not a great day for him.

There is a lot going on but trust me when something deserves recognition I will always do so. What Andy did today has really made Josh’s day and show that from a brand like Lamborghini anything is possible. You should be so proud of him as an employee, he didn’t have to take the time but he did. And also thank you for taking the time to respond. We very much appreciate it.

I would also like to say it’s a real credit to you, your garage and your staff for being so approachable and friendly.
Again could you pass on my appreciation and thanks to Andy the mechanic for his time. Hope this is ok and you can realise just how good this is and for a big brand to do.

Thank you

Ben

Nigel Haynes had a good client contact him to see if he could help. The client had a new car that was due to arrive but had been delayed, which meant that he could not take his son to his School Prom night. He asked Nigel if he could help. Without hesitation, Nigel agreed and volunteered his time. On the evening Nigel took one of the Demonstrators over to the client and acted as chauffeur joining the parade of supercars at the prom. The client was over the moon as it meant he kept his promise to his son.
After the event, Nigel drove back to the dealership returning the demonstrator.

Sean wanted to do something special for a family who have been great customers and friends of the Centre for many years and are going through a very difficult time. On the family’s latest visit to the Showroom, Mr D was purchasing a new car for his wife, Sean noticed a significant difference in Mr D’s physical appearance and sadly learned his health was deteriorating due to a brain tumour. This came as devastating news to Sean as he had got to know the family and as he says, “you couldn’t meet nicer people”.

The family had become friends of many people within the Centre throughout the years and it came as a huge shock to everyone. Sean set out to create a memorable experience for the family on behalf of Porsche Centre Glasgow and decided to organise a Drive out Day. Alongside our GSM, Sean carefully handpicked a group of eight customers including Mr D, his wife and two daughters. Sean organised the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar for lunch, booking out one of the dining rooms that looks over the water for the event. The Centre provided a Porsche Taycan for each couple/family to make the experience unique by driving Porsche’s fully electric car for the first time. We drove through Loch Lomond to take in the scenic views stopping for a picture with the stunning backdrop.

Sean learned more about Mr D’s condition on the day out and also the work the whole family do on behalf of the Charity close to them. Sean and our GSM organised prizes for a charity golf event the family had organised including a Porsche Golf Bag, Porsche Golf Towel and Porsche Golf Balls to be auctioned.

The family thanked the Centre for everyone’s thoughtfulness and generosity and most of all Sean for pulling everything together and creating a fantastic day out for the family.