Chesterfield lockdown businessman donates entire £11,000 revenue to hospice

Ash Young launched CarMats.co.uk during lockdown.

Chesterfield man, Ash Young, who launched CarMats.co.uk during lockdown, has donated more than £11,000 to Ashgate Hospicecare.

Alongside homeschooling his two kids and running a successful digital agency day-to-day, Ash decided to start a new venture, launching his own e-commerce site with a target of reaching £1 million within the first 12 months.

Documenting his progress on social media, Ash has taken CarMats.co.uk from strength to strength, with many followers buying into the journey.

On January 25, just nine months after launching, he hit the £1 million mark.

To mark the occasion, Ash wanted to do something special that would make a difference. He decided to donate the entire revenue (not profit), from the day of reaching £1million, to local charity Ashgate Hospicecare.

The hospice provides care and support for families and patients across north Derbyshire. It specialises in palliative and end of life care, which is provided free of charge.

Ash said: “Ashgate Hospicecare was the natural choice. They are just up the road from where I live and they do amazing work.

"A large part of their income comes from the various events they run through the year that we love attending, such as the open air cinema and summer fair which they simply haven’t been able to run this year. So we wanted to take this opportunity to support them and give back.”

When asked how he felt about hitting the milestone, Ash said: “Absolutely amazing. When I set out on the challenge I wasn’t even sure I’d hit the £1million revenue figure, so to smash it after nine months is absolutely amazing.”

On the day of reaching £1million, CarMats.co.uk took 302 orders. The final total revenue was £11,470.24 – all of which will be donated to the hospice.

Peter Stone, director of income generation at Ashgate Hospicecare, said: “We are absolutely astounded by the generosity of Ash and his new business venture.

“Every pound donated will help our team to offer comfort, care and support to patients across North Derbyshire who are reaching the end of their lives.”