TV personalities Paddy McGuinness and Sam Thompson turned delivery drivers for the day to bring both laughs and essential support to families in need. The duo’s mission: pilot one of the new electric heavy goods vehicles in Amazon’s delivery network packed with donations for The Multibank charity.
Paddy and Sam deliver in time for Christmas
Paddy, the proud holder of an HGV drivers’ licence, took to the wheel of the state-of-the-art electric truck, with Sam serving as his enthusiastic but less qualified ‘Driver’s Mate’ – a role that Sam quickly discovered involves little conversation and cuppas and plenty of lifting and loading.
The duo also bonded over their love of the EV, which they named Evie. She proved to be a smooth operator, impressing Paddy with her ability to cover more than 300 miles on a full charge. Paddy and Sam’s journey was in an all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 truck, one of the first arrivals from the UK’s biggest-ever order of electric HGVs last month, marking a key step in Amazon’s commitment to decarbonising its UK transportation network.
Paddy and Sam delivered essential goods to The Brick Multibank in Wigan. The Multibank charity initiative, which Amazon helped to set up in 2022, was created to meet the needs of families and individuals living in poverty by taking surplus products donated by businesses and giving them to families in need. To date, the six Multibank donation hubs across the UK have donated more than 12 million essential items to over 800,000 families across the UK
“I’ve driven plenty of electric vehicles, but this was my first time behind the wheel of an electric HGV. I was amazed at how powerful yet quiet it was,” said Paddy McGuinness. “Making this special Amazon delivery to families who need The Multibank’s support this Christmas, while also doing our bit for the environment, was a no-brainer for me – even if it meant surviving Sam’s rapping and bizarre snack combinations. Love the lad to bits, but he’s going to need to up his Driver’s Mate game, for any future deliveries! The more deliveries we can make with vehicles like these, the better for everyone and the planet.”
Pepperamis and raw mushrooms?
“When I got the call up from Amazon to be Paddy’s mate, I jumped at the idea. I thought we’d catch up, grab brunch, maybe belt out some karaoke,” said Sam Thompson. “Being a ‘Driver’s Mate’ is a lot harder than it looks. Evie made it special, and Paddy – I love that guy – even if he can’t get his head around the god tier car snack of a Green Pepperami and a raw mushroom. Jokes aside, it’s brilliant to see the work Amazon is doing to make all our deliveries more sustainable.”
