Lunch with Vicki Butler-Henderson, the presenter of car enthusiasts’ programme Fifth Gear, is merely the stuff of fantasy for her many admirers, but for ChipsAway franchise owner Steve Hancock, a ‘date’ with Vicki became a dream come true after he raised more than £1,000 for Help for Heroes.

Vicki Butler-Henderson, who has been the face of ChipsAway for the past year, pledged to share a special slap-up lunch with a top fundraiser for ChipsAway’s chosen charity, Help for Heroes. Hancock and Butler-Henderson went for lunch at the Fish & Grill restaurant in Putney, London.

Hancock, who is a ChipsAway franchise owner in the Daventry area, reached his £1,000 target by taking part in a skydive with the Red Devils. He also placed Help for Heroes collection tins in his local pub, on his van and in his wife’s hair salon and donated £5 from every repair he did for a month. Hancock will carry on raising money for Help for Heroes to coincide with ChipsAway’s continued support of the charity. Hancock said: “Going for lunch with Vicki was a real treat, we had a great time. I have always been a car enthusiast and have watched Fifth Gear for years, so it was lovely to meet Vicki in person. I thoroughly enjoyed the skydive too – I can’t wait to do another one.

“I’m very passionate about Help for Heroes as a charity – men and women in the forces are willing to risk their lives for us so I think we should do our bit to repay them whichever way we can. This is a further reason why I want to do another skydive and continue to raise money for Help for Heroes.”

Butler-Henderson said: “Help for Heroes is a fantastic cause. I am delighted to have been able to support ChipsAway in raising funds for the charity and thoroughly enjoyed my special ‘date’ with Steve.”ChipsAway has so far raised around £15,000 for Help for Heroes and presented a cheque to Dawn Turner, Help for Heroes volunteer and West Midlands County Co-ordinator, at the company’s recent Annual National Conference.

Published: 17 June 2011

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