A budding six year-old artist from Derby is celebrating after winning a national competition to design the exterior of a new RSPCA van.
Kitty Wright was the youngest of six winners who entered the nationwide Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles competition, as part of a partnership with the UK’s leading animal welfare charity.
The St Werburgh’s Primary School student’s design was chosen for its colourful and informative interpretation of the RSPCA’s role.
The fleet of new specially-customised Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Crafter vans will help save the lives of animals across England and Wales by enabling the charity to transport more than 20,000 animals in need of care, saving the charity around £800,000 a year.
Mark Hilton, sales manager at Imperial Commercials Volkswagen Van Centre Derby, revealed the finished van and presented Kitty with a framed memento of her creative talents.
Kat Litchfield, the RSPCA’s senior corporate account manager, said: “Kitty’s design caught our eye as it was an excellent illustration of our work. It clearly featured the variety of animals that we care for and we felt her use of space and colour would certainly capture the public’s interest and help raise awareness of the charity’s work.
“The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle partnership has revolutionised our service. Previously we had to rely on private boarding for temporary homes for our animals. The new fleet of vans enables us to move animals between our various RSPCA centres, reducing our boarding costs and helping us to home up to 15,000 more animals a year.”
Kitty’s unique van, which is already action, features the same tailored interiors as the other RSPCA Crafter vans. Each one is fitted with bespoke cages, in varying sizes to suit different animals. In addition the cages have removable partitions allowing the RSPCA to transport more ‘unusual’ passengers.
Mark Hilton from Imperial Commercials Volkswagen Van Centre Derby, added: “I was honoured to reveal the finished van to Kitty; her design is most captivating. The partnership with RSPCA is a clear example of how the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles range can be tailored to the specific needs our customers.”
For further information on the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles range at Imperial Commercials Volkswagen Van Centre Derby call 01332 902429.