Desmond Motors recognised with major award for partnership with Foyle Search and Rescue
Desmond Motors as been recognised with the Ford Building Together Award at the 2026 Ford Dealer Marketing Awards, which was held at the Henry Ford Academy in Daventry.
The dealership received the accolade for its ‘Drive for Your Community’ event in June, delivered in partnership with Foyle Search and Rescue.
The charity’s volunteer-led team provides a 24-hour emergency response, offering suicide prevention support and rapid, lifesaving assistance along the River Foyle.
Jonathan Ferguson, Ford Sales Manager at Desmond Motors, said: “It is a great honour to receive this recognition at the Ford Dealer Marketing Awards. Desmond Motors has been part of the community in the North West for more than 60 years, and giving back locally is hugely important to us. We look to make positive difference within our community.”
The ‘Drive Your Community’ initiative invited members of the public to get behind the wheel of a variety of Ford vehicles stationed directly at the charity’s base in Prehen, Derry. For every completed test drive, Ford committed to a donation of £30 for Foyle Search and Rescue, up to a maximum of £6,000.
The event easily exceeded the target, and with 245 test drives completed in models including the Kuga, Capri, Puma, Mustang Mach-E and Ranger, the full £6,000 was successfully raised.
The Desmond Motors team made a next‑gen Ford Transit Custom Nugget camper van their office for the day, which also provided over 450 members of the public with an insight into the equipment the organisation uses when launching their lifesaving missions.
Mr. Ferguson said: “It was a very rewarding experience to raise awareness and funds for Foyle Search and Rescue in their work in suicide prevention and lifesaving assistance along the Foyle.
“Our ‘Drive for your Community’ event was a rewarding way to raise awareness and funds for Foyle Search and Rescue and the vital suicide prevention and lifesaving work its volunteers carry out along the River Foyle. I am incredibly proud of the Desmond Motors team, whose efforts made the event such a success.”
For more information on Desmond Motors, visit the dealership’s official website at www.desmondmotors.co.uk.