LOOKERS Nissan Leeds has announced its sponsorship of a key autism charity at a major event held to promote understanding and acceptance of the autism spectrum.
The motor retailer has become a Gold Sponsor of Leeds Autism Services and will work closely with the charity to improve the customer experience that it provides to those living with autism.
As well as educating itself about the issues some people with autism may face, plans are already under way to adapt thedealership to cater for the wide range of unique challenges faced by those within the autism spectrum.
The partnership was announced at the Bigger and Better in Leeds event at Leeds Civic Hall, which was held to help launch the start of World Autism Awareness Week; this will see schools, workplaces and individuals, their families and friends all over the UK take part in activities to raise autism awareness and much needed funds for autism charities.
Bigger and Better in Leeds gave those living with autism in the Leeds area the opportunity to meet with local businessesand charities to discuss the improvements that could be made to help them better engage with the autistic community.
It also gave Lookers Nissan Leeds the opportunity to promote its support for the Motability Scheme, with many of its models included in the scheme.
On display were the new Nissan X-Trail, the new Nissan Juke, Nissan Micra and Nissan Qashqai, all of which are part of a range of models that can be adapted to suit the specific needs of Motability customers.
As well as making changes to the dealership, there are also plans to host a number of evening events at the dealership that cater specifically for the needs of customers with autism.
Lookers Nissan Sales Manager Matthew Young, who provided a speech on the Motability scheme during the event, as well as met a number of people living with autism, said: “We are immensely proud to be a sponsor of Leeds Autism Services, which is doing fantastic work to inform and educate the local community about the very real and sometimes complex problems faced by those with autism.
“As a business we believe we can learn a lot from this partnership, giving us a hugely valuable insight into what can be a very complex condition, and better educating us about how we can create one of the very first autism friendly dealerships in Leeds.”
Other charities involved in the organisation of Bigger and Better in Leeds included Leeds Autism AIM, Leeds Asperger Adults, Leeds ABC Group and Specialist Autism Services.
Danielle Furness, Partnership & Development Officer at Leeds Autism Services (LAS), said: “We are very excited to be supported by such a well-known national brand as Lookers. The Motability scheme is fundamental to the sense of empowerment those living with autism can achieve and we look forward to working closely with Lookers Nissan Leeds to adapt its products and services to these customers.”
