M6toll funds lifesaving First Aid Kits to Local Charity
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have supported local charity, DocBike Staffordshire with a donation of £1500 through their Drive for Charity In the Community scheme.
The DocBike charity combines a highly qualified (consultant level) doctor or critical care paramedic with two wheels with the aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads due to motorcycle collisions. Wherever possible, this doctor or paramedic also works on the local air ambulance. It is part of their every-day job, to treat and save the most severely injured and sick patients and help them to reach hospital alive.
Working together with emergency services all across the UK, it is the aim of the charity to have a DocBike associated with every air ambulance charity around the country. They are a new charity, but the enthusiasm of local bikers, colleagues in the Emergency Services and other agencies throughout the UK means that they are expanding rapidly.
As part of their life saving work, they have set up a course in Staffordshire called Biker Down, this is presented in 3 modules by emergency service staffwhich comprisesmanaging the scene of an incident, how to keep someone alive until the ambulance arrives and how to avoid being knocked of your bike. Biker Down is a FREE course which attracts many motorcyclists and they are all very eager to learn how to keep themselves and fellow bikers safe. The donation from the M6toll will allow DocBike to provide a first aid kit to motorcyclists that is small enough to fit on a motorcycle but capable of helping to save a life.
DocBike Staffordshire is led by Carol Close, who after the loss of her own son Luke in a motorcycle crash in August 2019 decided she wanted something positive to come from her tragedy.. After lots of hard work and dedication DocBike Staffordshire now have a motorcycle donated by Staffordshire Police, a doctor and a medic and a fabulous support team who give their time voluntarily. They are determined to save lives through, engagement, education and roadside critical care. Carol said; “2021 will see DocBike Staffordshire #LukesLegacy educating motorcyclists through a Biker Down course. Thanks to the M6toll for funding first aid kits that will assist in saving lives until emergency services arrive. With the knowledge gained from the course together with the tools provided by the first aid kits we can make a difference.”
Jo Brett, MEL Social Committee Member said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Biker Down course with First Aid Kits for motorcyclists. Road Safety is extremely important to us as an organisation so we were very keen to support this initiative with DocBikes which could potentially help to save lives.”
MEL’s donation forms part of a wider initiative to support local schools and community projects. MEL’s Social Committee is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit Drive for Charity.
For further information on DocBike Staffordshire, please visit: Staffordshire – DocBike
Discover More of our Drive for Charity Work Here.
Back to newsM6toll Supports Buddy Bag Foundation
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have supported local charity, The Buddy Bag Foundation based in Sutton Coldfield with a donation of £1500 through their Drive for Charity In the Community scheme.
The Buddy Bag Foundation was created in response to the rising number of children who enter emergency care after fleeing violent situations at home. Restoring a sense of safety and security into a child’s life during a traumatic time is one of the first steps to recovery. By providing children with a few essential items, The Buddy Bag Foundation help make the transition into emergency care a little easier.
To support children in this situation the Buddy Bag can provide comfort when all else has been removed. A Buddy Bag is a backpack that contains all the essential items a child needs. They include toiletries, pyjamas, socks and underwear. They also include comfort items such as a book, a photo frame and a teddy bear. A Buddy Bag is something a child can call their own, no matter where they go.
Karen Williams, CEO/Founder BBF said; “Thank you to the M6toll for supporting the Buddy Bag Foundation. Their kind funding of £1500 has provided 60 Buddy Bags and made a difference to 60 children in Midlands based emergency accommodation, providing a little bit of comfort and something that the children can call their own. The Buddy Bags were packed at our Festive Buddy Bag Brigade on 17th December 2020 to celebrate our 30,000 Buddy Bag and 5th Anniversary.”
Jo Brett, MEL Social Committee Member said: “It was a real pleasure to support The Buddy Bag Foundation with their Festive Buddy Bag Brigade. We hope that our funding can help support local children and provide them with some comfort during difficult times.”
MEL’s donation forms part of a wider initiative to support local schools and community projects. MEL’s Social Committee is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit our Drive for Charity page.
For further information on The Buddy Bag Foundation, please visit: Buddy Bag Foundation. Alternatively, discover more of the Great Work Funded By Drive For Charity Here.
Back to newsM6toll Backs Bags for Brummies Campaign
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have backed the Birmingham campaign ‘Bags for Brummies’ for a third year by providing a donation of £500 through their Drive for Charity In the Community scheme.
You can Read About the 2019 Campaign Here.
Organised by Birmingham-based charity LoveBrum, the ‘Bags for Brummies’ campaign will work a little differently this year due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, due to the government’s guidelines, the team have decided to forgo their usual bag packing sessions. Instead, they have partnered with Hope Revolution and together have created an online store with an array of essential items available to purchase. Supporters of the scheme can now browse the items needed, place an order and Hope Revolution will deliver the bags directly to those in need.
Ian Brown, Corporate Partnership Manager at Love Brum said: “This year it’s more important than ever to help and support the city’s homeless community as much as we can. Our Bags For Brummies campaign will provide essential items to the homeless and help them get through the coldest, hardest time of the year. For 2020, we’ve adapted our Bags for Brummies campaign, but the aim is still the same – spread a little cheer during these dark and cold winter months.
Ian added “From everyone here at LoveBrum, we would like to say a huge thank you to the M6toll for their donation to the campaign. The M6toll have been fantastic supporters over the years and we are so grateful for their continued love for Brum!”
Jo Brett, MEL Social Committee Member said: “We are delighted to support Bags for Brummies again this year. These winter months will be extremely tough for those living on the streets, after such a challenging year we are so pleased that this great initiative can go ahead and we hope the bags will provide a little comfort this festive season.”
MEL’s donation forms part of a wider initiative to support local schools and community projects. MEL’s Social Committee is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit our Drive for Charity page.
For further information on Bags for Brummies, please visit: www.hope-revolution.org/lovebrum
And, to read more about our work in the community, Click Here.
Back to newsM6toll support Free Radio ‘Mission Christmas’ campaign
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have given their support to Free Radio’s, Cash for Kids, ‘Mission Christmas’ campaign by providing a donation of £500 through their Drive for Charity In the Community scheme.
The donation will be used to deliver some Christmas magic to as many local Children as possible whose families have really struggled during this challenging year.
It’s been a difficult year for so many people, and Christmas is going to be particularly
tough for many families. This sadly means there are many children who are at-risk of
having no presents to open on Christmas morning. So again, this year, Free Radio want to give Santa a helping hand and deliver some magic to as many of these children as they can.
Tom Reeves, Charity Fundraising Executive & Official Assistant Elf said “Mission Christmas aims to get gifts to those thousands of disadvantaged local children who would otherwise wake up with nothing & it simply cannot happen without the support of our local community. We are immensely grateful to Midland Expressway Ltd for their generosity in what has been a hugely troubling year for all.”
Joanne Brett, MEL Social Committee Member added: “Christmas will feel very different for everyone this year, but we want to do our bit and help make Christmas that little bit more special for local Children. This is a great campaign and we are so pleased to be able to support Free Radio, Cash for Kids with delivering Mission Christmas”.
More information on the Free Radio, Cash for Kids ‘Mission Christmas’ campaign can be found at freeradio.co.uk/mission.
MEL’s donation forms part of a wider initiative to support local schools and community projects. MEL’s Social Committee is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit our Drive for Charity page.
You can read more about Our Work With Charities Here.
Back to newsM6toll support Good Hope Hospital Christmas Appeal
Midland Expressway Ltd (operators of the M6toll) have shown their support to University Hospitals Birmingham Charity by providing a donation of £1,000 through their Drive for Charity In the Community scheme.
The donation will be used to spread some Christmas cheer at Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield after what has been an incredibly difficult year. This year University Hospitals Birmingham Charity wanted to fund ‘Toy Trees’ at each of their four hospital sites.
This Christmas is going to be a strange one for us all and extremely tough for children in hospital with visiting restrictions still very much in place due to the pandemic. The Toy Trees come pre decorated with cuddly toys on, the idea is for staff to get children to choose a toy from the tree for them to keep and help cheer them up during their stay.
Laura Power, Fundraising Manager at Good Hope Hospital Charity, said: “On behalf of everyone at Good Hope Hospital I would like to say a huge thank you to Midland Expressway Ltd for their generous support for our Christmas appeal. The Toy Tree that this donation will fund will help to bring some Christmas joy to our poorly young patients this year. Trips to the hospitals can be scary for our young patients, but these beautiful Christmas trees will bring smiles to their faces. This makes the hospital experience easier for them, their parents and the staff treating them.”
Joanne Brett, MEL Social Committee Member added: “Christmas is going to be very different this year but we wanted to help make it special for those Children who will be in hospital during this time. The Toy Tree is a great initiative and we are so pleased to be able to support University Hospital Birmingham in making Christmas special for their patients this year ”
MEL’s donation forms part of a wider initiative to support local schools and community projects. MEL’s Social Committee is always on the lookout for local charities and community projects to support. To register your charity or community project with MEL for consideration to receive fundraising or practical (volunteering) support now or in the future visit our Drive for charity page.
You can also read another Drive for Charity Article Here.
Back to newsCounselling support for Children’s Hospice during C-19 crisis
M6toll fund counselling support for local Children’s Hospice during Covid-19 crisis
As part of the M6toll’s Drive for Charity ‘In the Community’ funding, Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL); operators of the M6toll have provided £1,500 to The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice based in Trentham, Stoke on Trent which will be used to provide counselling support to children and families, to improve their emotional well-being during the Covid-19 crisis.
However long or short a child’s life may be, The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice is there to support every member of the family, every step of the way.
The funds will be used to provide remote counselling sessions, via telephone and video call, to those children that have the maturity and cognitive ability, and also to parents, carers and siblings. These counselling sessions will give them the chance to talk about how they are feeling in a safe environment.
Emma Whitehurst, Trusts and Grants Manager at The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice said;
“Everybody at The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice is thrilled to receive this fabulous grant from M6toll Drive for Charity Community Scheme. The funding will be used to provide vital counselling support for children and families, to improve their emotional well-being, during the Covid-19 crisis. Most of our children have weakened immune systems and their fragile health puts them at massive risk from the virus. Social isolation was already a huge problem for many of our families and now they are having to shield indefinitely. It’s having a devastating impact on their emotional health. We will provide remote counselling sessions to children, parents/ carers and siblings. These sessions will help to reduce stress, help them to cope with their situation and improve family relationships. These counselling sessions will be a lifeline. Thank you so much.”
Jo Brett, MEL employee added: “Covid-19 has brought so much worry and anxiety to the children and families in the care of The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice, we are so pleased to be able to support the charity with providing counselling sessions and hope it brings some comfort in these difficult and challenging times.”
More information about The Donna Louise Children’s Hospice can be found here www.thedonnalouise.org/
Since the M6toll opened 16 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
Last year, M6toll’s online scheme saw £20,000 given to ‘charity of the year’ Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, and dozens of smaller awards made to community projects. To find out more or to nominate a local project to receive funding please visit Drive for Charity.
Discover More of our Drive for Charity Work Here.
Back to newsM6toll support Simon’s Heroes with funds for local child
As part of the M6toll’s Drive for Charity ‘In the Community’ funding, Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL); operators of the M6toll have provided £500 to Simon’s Heroes to assist with specialised equipment needed for a local child.
Simon’s Heroes is a Tamworth based charity which aims to improve the quality of life and make a positive difference to local children in need. The charity was founded in 2013 after old friends reunited to honour the memory of their friend by holding a charity football tournament. Simon’s Heroes raise money through corporate sponsorship and fundraising events which enables them to provide resources and opportunities that are not always available through the NHS and other funding routes, but go a long way towards helping children with life limiting illnesses lead more independent and fulfilling lives.
Kelly Prescott; Trustee at Simon’s Heroes said, “It was such wonderful news to hear that the M6toll Social Committee were able to support our current project. We are currently in the process of purchasing a special needs bike trailer for a little girl who has a rare genetic condition causing development delays. She can’t ride a bike herself so having the trailer means her and her family can enjoy outings together. We rely heavily on the support of local business sponsorship and donations to keep supporting new beneficiaries so this contribution is very much appreciated.”
Leah Sandford, MEL employee added: “The charity Simon’s Heroes means a lot to our family. My Granddaughter Effie has just turned 2 and was born with H.I.E-Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, which causes many day-to-day difficulties including her mobility. Effie could have received a wheelchair from the NHS but as she is going to be a big sister towards the end of the year the wheelchair needs to be suitable to enable the whole family to get around. Simon’s Heroes have been amazing and are in the process of having a wheelchair made to suit the needs of Effie, but that will also enable the whole family to take trips out together.
I am thrilled that the M6toll has supported this fantastic local charity so close to my heart.”
More information about Simons Heroes can be found here https://simonsheroes.org.uk/
Since the M6toll opened 16 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
Last year, M6toll’s online scheme saw £20,000 given to ‘charity of the year’ Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, and dozens of smaller awards made to community projects. To find out more or to nominate a local project to receive funding please visit our Drive for Charity page.
To read another article on our Drive for Charity work, Click Here.
Back to newsM6toll improve outdoor area for Tamworth Refuge
As part of the M6toll’s Drive for Charity ‘In the Community’ funding, Midland Expressway Ltd (MEL); operators of the M6toll have provided £1000 to Pathway Project to revitalise their outdoor space in their Tamworth Refuge.
Pathway Project provides services to women and children who suffer domestic abuse supporting them with a range of services including refuge provision, floating support, children’s services, a 24 hour helpline, counselling, group therapy, drop in centre services and training provision. The mission of Pathway Project is to ensure that every adult and child who comes to them seeking support for domestic and sexual abuse is given an opportunity to engage in services that can help them to make the journey from victim to survivor.
Pathway Project want their service users to feel that they can share their experiences and know that they will be listened to, which is why updating their outdoor area is so important as another area for families to sit down, take a break and talk.
Hayley Baxter, CEO said “Pathway Project would like to say a massive thank you to M6toll for their wonderful donation, that will allow us to buy new seating and garden toys for our refuge families to enjoy. With the constant demand on fundraising making new purchases for projects like this often get delayed, but with our families using the space more than ever this couldn’t have come at a better time.
More information about Pathway Project can be found here https://www.pathway-project.co.uk/
Since the M6toll opened 16 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
Last year, M6toll’s online scheme saw £20,000 given to ‘charity of the year’ Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, and dozens of smaller awards made to community projects. To find out more or to nominate a local project to receive funding please visit our Drive for Charity page.
Check Out Another Blog Post Here.
Back to newsM6toll drive educational change with Midlands Air Ambulance
M6toll drive educational change with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
Midland Expressway Limited (MEL), operators of the M6toll, has provided funding to Midlands Air Ambulance Charity enabling the organisation to launch the partners’ joint Sky Champs’ Education Programme online for teachers via a learning management system.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity started providing its popular Sky Champs’ education packs virtually, to keep up with the changes to trends in the digital landscape and to help those working from home to occupy their children following school closures. Parents of EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils accessed the packs, meaning their children had activities available to them that were in line with the National Curriculum.
As advancements in the digital sector continue to peak, the charity has gone one step further to provide the school packs on Moodle, an online learning management system, to continue meeting the needs of its key stakeholders including teachers and teaching assistants.
Thanks to a £15,000 grant awarded by M6toll, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is launching the packs virtually, using Moodle. The addition of this new service means the charity’s education and training programmes can now be offered to more Midlands’ schools, to support teachers and teaching assistants.
The packs contain reading, writing and mathematical tasks, and also include three school assembly plans, a safety pack and quizzes, all of which can be used as homework exercises. Each of the modules uses real life examples from Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, meaning the classwork is not only fun, but also educates pupils on the importance of the rapid response, pre-hospital emergency service.
Emma Gray, fundraising and marketing director for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, states: “During the past year, our interaction with local schools significantly increased, with nearly 400 educational institutions engaging with our Sky Champs training programme.
“With the extended support from M6toll and the introduction of online learning management system, Moodle, we can now roll out the education packs, virtually. This means managing the learning resources will be easier and the content more widely accessible for further schools located in our operating patch to support children’s learning and development.”
Andy Cliffe, chief executive at M6toll, adds: We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity for an additional 12 months, helping them further the Sky Champs initiative. The introduction of an online learning platform will ensure that content is widely available to aid learning and development benefitting many local schools and children.
To find out more about the Sky Champs’ Education Programme, CPR and Bleed Control training or to access the resources on Moodle, visit: www.midlandsairambulance.com/education, and search for the charity on social media.
You Can Read More about our Community Work Here.
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