Pride Park-based NK Motors is helping a Derby charity get its next humanitarian trip to Kenya on the road by sponsoring one of the volunteers.

For the second year in a row, the Kia dealership has donated £500 to Derby County Community Trust’s (DCCT) physical activity and health officer Denise Austin, and her daughter Sarah, community administrator for DCCT, for their participation in the charity’s Rams in Kenya mission.

Rams in Kenya is an annual initiative that takes staff and other volunteers to the slums of Nakuru, Kenya, in order to improve the lives, health and education of the largely impoverished children and families connected to six schools in the region.

NK Motors, based in Orient Way, received a special visit from Derby County mascots Rammie and Ewie this week as a thank you for the car firm’s support of the important trip.

DCCT uses the power and reach of Derby County Football Club to aid deprived or vulnerable people, communities and organisations through physical activity, health services and education.

The Rams in Kenya (RIK) mission, which has been operating since 2012, takes place this year between May 17 and June 1.

Sanj Kumar, managing director of NK Motors, which also has branches at Chilwell and Long Eaton, said: “We are proud of our success as a thriving business in Derby, but we are prouder still of the selfless local people like Denise who give up their time to help those less fortunate than the rest of us."

“NK Motors is always seeking worthy local causes to support, and few work harder than Derby County Community Trust, so we are delighted to sponsor Denise for the second year in a row."

“This week’s visit from Rammie and Ewie put a smile on everyone’s face at the showroom – and I think they liked the special ‘RIK DCCT’ number plates we created to commemorate the visit.”

Rams in Kenya, which has seen more than 500 volunteers take part over the years, works in the Nakuru schools to improve things like sanitation, build new classrooms and increase safety measures as well as supporting the teaching and physical activity in those schools.

Participants are asked to pay costs of either £2,400 for a one week or £2,995 for two weeks to fund this trip of a lifetime.

Denise (61), who will be taking part in her second Rams in Kenya adventure for two weeks this year, said she was very grateful for the continued sponsorship from NK Motors.

“Over the past 20 years as a family we have always had our cars from NK Motors at Chilwell as their family ethos is one of caring, support and professionalism,” she said.

“Last year was the first year we approached NK Motors for sponsorship for the Rams in Kenya trip with Derby County Community Trust and we were grateful for the support that came from the company as a whole."

“As a 61-year-old staff member who works at DCCT it is empowering to do the two weeks’ volunteering at the schools in Kenya, but also grounds you as a family to the standards and values that people live by to fulfil their daily life with limited resources of which we take for granted."

“The wider sponsorship money helps us to support the innovation and development at the schools, improving their access to education, not just in Nakuru but in our home town of Derby.”