By William Coleman
The Swift Group have formed a partnership with military forces’ charity Mission Motorsport. Swift have donated a motorhome to the Armed Forces’ charity that helps veterans rebuild their lives, post service, by providing opportunities through motorsport. A charity effort that I am sure we can all agree is extremely important.
The brand spanking new Swift Bessacarr will be put to great use by Mission Motorsport as they travel to events all across the UK and even worldwide as part of the new partnership with Swift.
Mission Sport was launched 6 years ago and has done vital work with over 1,400 ex servicemen and women by providing 4,500 days of sport for them to take part in. They have also helped 120 wounded, injured, sick service leavers and veterans to find employment.
The charity said the “luxurious” motorhome will “make an enormous difference”. It plans to use the motorhome at over 100 events – including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the British GT at Brands Hatch, and the charity’s own Race of Remembrance held on Anglesey, North Wales, in November. The Swift Bessacarr will enable the team to rest between and after races in comfort and style.
The partnership started its engines at the Swift Group’s headquarters in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, when Swift’s Commercial Director Nick Page handed over the keys to Mission Motorsport CEO James Cameron.
Nick Page said: “We are delighted to partner with Mission Motorsport through the donation of a Swift Bessacarr motorhome. The work they are doing is incredible – helping our heroes to make a fresh start. We hope the Bessacarr can bring the team a little more comfort when trackside and contribute to the charity continuing its excellent work.”
James Cameron, CEO Mission Motorsport, said: “Our work in support of the Forces’ community sees us deliver a calendar that spans motorsport events across the country, from Elite level sport to low level, recovery events.
“With over 100 events planned in 2018, across the UK and beyond, this Swift motorhome will make an enormous difference in our ability to look after our guys and girls attending. We are hugely grateful to the Swift Group for this generous donation and look forward to getting on the road with this luxurious motorhome.”
The premium motorhome, the Bessacarr, is a luxury motorhome known for it’s high performance. 2018 saw a complete redesign of the model with a new streamlines low profile and modern plush interior.
As I have said before, motorhomes and motosports go hand in hand. Motorhomes are an important back bone of the whole industry. You cannot go to an event without seeing tons of motorhomes being used by both fans and race teams. Many competitors use them as a base, and Swift Bessacarr and Kon-tiki motorhomes can often be seen track-side.
The charity is also being backed by people that have had their lives changed by their time with the Armed Forces. Steven McCulley, who was injured by an IED while serving in Afghanistan, is one of Mission Motorsport beneficiaries. Unfortunately Steven was hurt quite bad in the incident when shrapnel tore holes in his chest which lead to major surgery and a serious lung condition.
Mission Motorsport have helped him to rebuild his life through racing and skills training. On the Steven has won first in class in the Race of Remembrance – an annual motorsport event run by the charity to honour the commitment of servicemen and women and their families.
Away from the track, Mission Motorsport helped Steven to achieve new skills in engineering and workshop management. He now runs his own business.
I really cannot express enough how amazing this charity is. The amount of ex army personnel that face extremely hard times on a daily basis is scarily high. For someone in our industry to step up and “Help Our Heroes” (not the same charity) is very impressive and deserves all the praise in the world.
