The guarding contractor SSGC joined its nominated charity Mission Motorsport at Goodwood in West Sussex to offer passenger rides to former military personnel ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 28. Among those supporting the day were Chris Harris from BBC TV’s Top Gear and the former British Army officer Johnny Mercer MP.
SSGC CEO David Stubbs spent the day giving veterans rides in his race-tuned Honda Civic Type-R as part of the company’s commitment to Mission Motorsport, which has also seen it pledge around £50,000 to the charity so far this year. Mission Motorsport works with wounded, injured or sick (WIS) service leavers and veterans and helps those affected by military operations by engagement through sport.
David, himself a former military police officer, said: “I’ve been involved in motorsport for the last 15 years as an ex-bike racer and I’m a veteran myself, so the link with Mission Motorsport is the perfect place for us as a company to be. SSGC is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, an ongoing commitment to support the armed forces community, and taking part in days like this is a big part of that pledge.”
SSGC last year deployed more than 4,000 staff, many of whom were military veterans, to marshal Covid-19 testing centres across the UK under UK Government contracts through Serco.
SSGC managing director Demelza Staples, pictured, added: “Our partnership with Mission Motorsport is really important to us. This event allowed us to give those beneficiaries a day out and acknowledge everything they have given to us, not just as a business but as a country as well. The transferrable skills they bring into our business are just phenomenal. We have COVID-19 testing sites which run like clockwork because of our veterans and what they contribute.”
Mission Motorsport CEO and founder James Cameron said: “Our charity is about using sport to ultimately help people become happy in their careers beyond the military.
“SSGC are doing wonderful things at the moment in employing ex-military people and them joining events like this is part of that covenant commitment they’ve made. As an act of advocacy, it’s just wonderful.”
SSGC will be returning to the circuit in support of the veteran community at its next track day at Croft in North Yorkshire on August 3. Visit www.ssgc-net.com.
