FOCUSING ON...
Somerset heroes use classics to help people suffering with mental health challenges
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
CHARITY HEROES
Irecently took to the road to raise some charity funds of my own in the annual Bangers4BEN charity rally – four days of intense driving, across France, into Monaco and back across the French Alps at the wheel of a down-at-heel MG ZT.
Our aim was to raise money for BEN, the Motor Industry and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund, which serves a very profound purpose in these challenging times. BEN exists to deliver security to people who, through no fault of their own, are living in times of extreme hardship. Families torn to shreds by illness, unexpected unemployment, bereavement, injury – things that catch us unaware and for which there is often no other safety net.
Their work is incredible. From palliative care to financial grants, the charity is funded entirely by donations, usually from people who work directly or indirectly in the car industry, be it as salespeople, mechanics and administrators, through to chief execs and manufacturers.
What really surprised me, though, were the donations I received to my own fundraising page – having shared my road trip antics across various social media pages including Practical Classics and lots of MG Rover owners’ groups, we’ve pulled in over £1000 in sponsorship, including one particularly substantial donation from a chap I’ve never met. Stu Hirons, I hope you’re reading this because you really are a legend, as indeed is everyone who has chipped in – your generosity gives me faith in human nature at a time when we all need it most.
Craig Cheetham, Practical Classics Charities Correspondent
If you, your car club or your friends have got anything planned to raise money for charity, we absolutely want to hear about it and talk about it in these pages. Please drop us a line at practicalclassics@bauermedia.co.uk and we’ll help you in any way we can.
Rusty Road 2 Recovery is a mental health and well-being care in the community scheme operated on a not-for-profit basis. It was started in 2018 by Practical Classics reader Vince Davies, alongside John Goss and Scott Goldsmith.
John and Scott were both carers for Vince, who has struggled for most of his life with mental health challenges. All three had a passion for classic cars.
Vince’s thinking was that so often, people suffering with their mental health felt as if they had ended up on the scrap heap like a rusty old car, so he put the two concepts together and the idea of RR2R was born: restore classic cars with people suffering with mental health problems.
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