Update 10/10/16 – Viking Self Storage has completed its Facebook competition and identified first- and second-place winners. Bedford & District Cerebral Palsy Society (BDCPS) garnered 121 votes, while Autism Bedford ended with 29. As BDCPS was already receiving 50 square feet of storage from the facility, it’s space has been increased to 100 square feet for one year, according to the source. Autism Bedford will now enjoy free use of a 35-square-foot unit.
Representatives from BDCPS joined the storage operator for a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to celebrate its win. "Having free space at Viking's unit has already been immensely helpful to us; we simply wouldn't be able to put on the variety of activities for our users without it,” said Jane Howard-White, group services director at BDCPS. "We are pleased there is so much local support for us, and want to thank everyone who took the time to vote for us and Viking for providing the opportunity."
"We've been overwhelmed with entries to our free storage competition and are very pleased to be able to help both BCDPS and Autism Bedford benefit from our facility,” Schneider said. "It is our mission to support our local community as much as we can, and this competition has demonstrated how passionate the people of Bedford are about local causes."
9/6/16 –Viking Self Storage of Bedford, England, is holding a contest to give away one year of free storage to a local charity. The company has asked community members to nominate and vote for their favorite charitable organizations on Viking’s Facebook and Twitter pages. The contest is limited to one vote per person, and the charity with the most votes will win. The voting will close at midnight on Oct. 3.
“Supporting the local community has always been important to us, and we are pleased to help out in any way we can,” said Charlie Schneider, sales and marketing manager for Viking. “We hope that offering free storage to a local charity will benefit the excellent work they do.”
The current frontrunners for the contest are Autism Bedfordshire, an independent charity providing advice, information and support to autistic individuals and their families, and Bedford & District Cerebral Palsy Society, which provides programs and support to those living with cerebral palsy.
If it wins, Autism Bedfordshire would use the space to store equipment for its youth summer programs as well as items for a retail store, according to the source. “After having our funding cut last year, we have been looking into alternative fundraising streams and are now hoping to open a charity shop. The storage space could really help us out with this new venture,” said Claire Thompson, corporate fundraiser for the organization.
Viking Self Storage offers household, business and student storage as well as a box shop. The business is headquartered in the Elms Farm Industrial Estate, on the eastern side of Bedford Town Centre.
