M6toll Backs Bags for Brummies Campaign
A Birmingham campaign that supports homeless people in the area has been backed by M6toll’s Drive for Charity scheme for the second year running.
Organised by Birmingham-based charity LoveBrum, the ‘Bags for Brummies’ campaign invites people from across the region to donate a selection of items which go into care packages for the homeless community, handed out in bags sponsored by M6toll.
Andy Cliffe, chief executive of M6toll said: “We are delighted to support Bags for Brummies again this year. We know that the winter months can be tough for those living on the streets, so we hope the bags can provide comfort this festive season.
“Our team will also be volunteering to help pack the bags we have sponsored, as we believe it is important to be fully involved in the projects we support.”
Paul Mitchell, executive director at LoveBrum, added: “It’s our aim to help and support the homeless community as much as possible, especially at this time of year, and our Bags for Brummies campaign is a great way to be able to spread a little cheer during these dark and cold winter months.
“We were blown away by people’s generosity and the incredible donations last year, as well as the number of amazing volunteers that selflessly gave up their time to pack these bags. We’d love to go bigger and better in 2019, and we need everyone’s help to be able to do this.”
With an estimated one in 73 people in Birmingham sleeping on the streets, LoveBrum has drawn up a wish list of essential supplies that includes hats, gloves, scarves, toiletries, sleeping bags and a £10 supermarket voucher*.
The bags are being packed in volunteer sessions from 26th November to 11th December and handed out at SIFA Fireside’s annual Christmas lunch on 13th December.
Last year, LoveBrum collected over 15,000 items and handed out more than 600 bags to those in need.
For further information, please visit: www.lovebrum.org.uk/event/bags-brummies-2019
We’ve now backed this campaign for three consecutive years. Read More About This Here.
Details of community and charity support given by M6toll as part of its Drive for Charity programme can be found at Drive for Charity.
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First Responder group secures M6toll funding
Burntwood and Cannock Chase Community First Responders have received a £1,500 grant from the M6toll’s charitable fund.
The organisation will use the donation to help purchase vital lifesaving equipment for its community-based volunteer Team.
Shaun Mayo, for Burntwood and Cannock Chase Community First Responders (CFR), said: “Our group of dedicated volunteers is committed to caring for our community by donating their free time to respond to local emergency calls, supporting the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).
“As one of the busiest CFR schemes in the West Midlands, last year we attended 565 jobs covering 2,102 on duty hours. We are trained by WMAS to respond to different types of emergency 999 calls to provide initial assessment and treatment. We also deliver free CPR and AED awareness sessions in the communities we serve.”
The Burntwood and Cannock Chase group was established nine years ago and needs to continually raise funds to maintain and replace equipment.
M6toll’s monthly Drive for Charity in the Community campaign aims to support community groups and projects across the Midlands as part of a £45,000 initiative.
Maxine Estevez of M6toll, said: “The first responder scheme provides an essential service for local people across the region, so we are proud to support them.
“Our Drive for Charity scheme is all about supporting the towns and villages surrounding the toll road, so we are pleased to have been able to make this contribution.”
Since the M6toll opened 15 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
This 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.
Discover More of our Drive for Charity Work Here.
Back to newsM6toll funding hits the right note for Hospital Radio
The immediate future of a 24-hour hospital radio service has been secured thanks to funding from the M6toll.
Hospital Radio Stafford has been selected by the motorway’s social committee to receive £1,500 through its Drive for Charity in the Community scheme.
The donation will help to upgrade the station’s computer software, enabling the charity to continue to entertain and inform patients across four sites, including Katharine House Hospice.
Natalie Pelling, from Hospital Radio Stafford, said: “The service has a positive impact on patients and volunteers, bringing a sense of community to everyone across the hospital sites. We don’t ever want to let them down by not being able to broadcast their favourite music and chat, so we are incredibly grateful to M6toll for supporting us.
“Our studio software is almost 15 years old and, despite an update in 2015, it is becoming increasingly unreliable. The funding from M6toll will help us to maintain our 24-hour service and focus our other fundraising on further upgrades to the studios.”
Hospital Radio Stafford is a small self-funded local charity which has been broadcasting to hospitals in central Staffordshire since 1972. The service delivers 33 hours of ‘live’ programming, where most of which are request shows. For more information visit www.hrstafford.org.uk.
Since the M6toll opened 15 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
Maxine Estevez of M6toll, said: “Our Drive for Charity in the Community scheme allows us to assist a wide range of good causes that make a genuine difference to the lives of local people.
“Being in hospital can be very stressful, so helping to pass that time in a pleasant and engaging way is a great service that we are proud to support.”
This 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 visit Here, or feel free to check out another Drive for Charity Article Here.
Back to newsTamworth football team scores with cash donation
A local junior football team will be kicking off the season with a brand-new sponsor after being backed with a £1,500 donation from M6toll.
Amington Emeralds Junior Football Team, based in Tamworth, have been selected as one of M6toll’s monthly Drive for Charity in the Community campaign winners.
The fund aims to support community groups and projects across the Midlands as part of a £45,000 initiative.
The team gives youngsters the opportunity to improve their skills and compete in football tournaments. The funding from M6toll will provide players with new kits and hats and gloves for winter training.
The club’s under-10s coach, Tony Lomas, said: “Amington Juniors provide lots of opportunities to local young people. We work with the players to boost their confidence, encourage relationship building and motivate fitness.
“The volunteers at the club are amazing and have a great connection with the players. Everyone works hard to encourage team spirit and to fund the club’s expenses.
“We are delighted to have received this funding from M6toll. The donation will be very much appreciated by players, parents and the coaches.”
Since the M6toll opened 15 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
Maxine Estevez of M6toll, said: “We are proud to be supporting Amington Emeralds Junior Football Club, the club is a great benefit to young people in the local community.
“Our Drive for Charity scheme is all about supporting the towns and villages surrounding the toll road, so we are pleased to have been able to make this contribution.”
This 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 visit here.
You can also read another Drive for Charity Article Here to discover more of our work.
Back to newsLichfield school celebrates cookery cash boost
A local special needs school is set to offer cookery lessons to its pupils after being backed with a £1,500 donation from the M6toll.
Rocklands Special Needs School, based in Lichfield, has been selected as one of M6toll’s monthly Drive for Charity in the Community campaign winners.
The fund aims to support community groups and projects across the Midlands as part of a £45,000 initiative.
The school provides enrichment opportunities for 14 children who have complex medical and special educational needs.
The donation will finance the cooking element of a ‘Dare to Dream’ topic, enabling equipment and ingredients to be purchased to allow the children to learn valuable cooking skills. The topic provides a balanced curriculum along with opportunities for enrichment.
The remainder of the funding will be used to pay for A Disney Themed Dining Experience during a visit to Disney Land Paris in December.
Claire Dryhurt, the Flamingo class teacher, said: “I have planned activities around the children’s favourite Disney films, and these encompass things they hope to experience.
“The cooking element of our topic will teach the children how to cook and link to the Disney film, Ratatouille. As part of our wow enrichment moment, we plan to provide a dining experience for parents, carers and VIP’s.
“The funding will help to provide unique opportunities for the children in my class to experience. We are delighted that M6toll have chosen to make our dreams come true.”
Since the M6toll opened 15 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
Maxine Estevez of M6toll, said: “We are delighted to support Rocklands Special Needs School. We hope that the donation will offer an educational experience which the children will not forget.
“Our Drive for Charity scheme is all about supporting the towns and villages surrounding the toll road, so we are pleased to have been able to make this contribution.”
This 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 visit Drive for Charity.
You Can Read Another Drive for Charity Article Here.
Back to newsToll road confirms continued support for Ride to the Wall
The M6toll has confirmed it will again open its toll barriers free of charge for motorcyclists heading to this year’s Ride To The Wall event.
More than 2,000 bikers are expected to stream through the booths on their way to the National Memorial Arboretum on Saturday 5 October.
The annual charity event attracts bikers from across the UK and overseas, all riding to the Armed Forces Memorial to pay their respects to serving and fallen service men and women and raise funds for the Arboretum.
James Hodson, Director of Motorway Operations at M6toll, said: “This is the twelfth Ride to the Wall, and we are proud to have supported the event every year.
“Once again, we are honoured to provide free passage to the participating riders travelling with the official groups on their inbound journey to the National Memorial Arboretum, enabling them to save more than £6,000 of toll costs.”
Motorcyclists will set off from eleven different starting points across the Midlands, assembling at the 150-acre site for an act of remembrance.
More than 3,000 registered bikes are expected to travel in official groups, accompanied by volunteer marshals, along the M6toll and through T5 (Shenstone) and T6 (Burntwood) plazas between 10am and 11am.
All lanes at both plazas will show a green arrow to allow the Ride to the Wall participants to flow freely through. The event organisers request that riders do not exit at T4 (Weeford) to avoid congestion at the traffic lights.
Martin Dickinson, founder of Ride to the Wall, added: “Last year’s event raised £151,000 for the Arboretum, so we are grateful for the support of M6toll in making this route affordable for all the bikers taking part.
“We have more than 4,000 riders registered for this year’s event and a team of volunteer marshals on hand to ensure a smooth and successful Ride to the Wall 2019.
“The route for riders using the M6toll has changed slightly this year, to prevent delays at Weeford, so we are asking all participants to familiarise themselves with the new routes and follow instructions from our marshals to ensure everyone arrives on time and safely.”
Anyone interested in supporting the Ride to the Wall charity can find out more here.
Sarah Oakden, Head of Marketing at the National Memorial Arboretum, said: “Ride to the Wall is a unique commemorative event and we are continually grateful to its many participants for their support for the Arboretum. As a registered charity we rely on the generosity of the public to ensure we can remain a free to enter site.
“Putting on the event each year requires a huge logistical effort and we’re delighted that M6toll are once again assisting by waiving tolls for registered participants as they travel to pay their respects and raise funds to support our site.”
The National Memorial Arboretum is part of The Royal British Legion, and home to more than 380 memorials, including the Armed Forces Memorial. For more information visit.
The M6toll runs for 27 miles, from Junction 3a on the M6 all the way round the North East of the West Midlands, re-joining the M6 at Junction 11a. The road has an exemplary safety record and is equipped with emergency telephones, 24-hour CCTV monitoring and mobile Incident Support Units.
Details of community and charity support work undertaken by M6toll under its Drive For Charity programme can be found here.
You Can Read Another Drive for Charity Article Here.
Back to newsM6toll backs Birmingham breast cancer charity
A Birmingham-based charity dedicated to supporting people affected by breast cancer from across the West Midlands, has received £1,500 donation from M6toll to fund a book for children.
Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer (LFBC) Charitable Trust was selected as one of the M6toll’s monthly winners for its Drive for Charity in the Community campaign. The M6toll charity fund aims to support community groups and projects across the Midlands as part of a £45,000 initiative.
LFBC will use the money to print and promote a children’s book entitled ‘Goodbye to Cansie Cancer’. The book, commissioned by LFBC and written by children’s author Joan Blaney CBE, Hon DEd, has been designed to help mothers diagnosed with Breast Cancer explain the disease and its effects to their children in a non-frightening, yet factual way.
Breast Cancer survivor Ann McNaughton, from LFBC, said: “I am delighted that LFBC will be receiving the money for what is such a wonderful project. As a mother and recovered breast cancer patient, I have personally received tremendous support over the years from LFBC, which has helped me through some extremely difficult and challenging times. The charity provides a broad range of support from real hair wigs and specialist bras through to a support group and choir.
“This little book will help free children of any blame they may feel as it explains how cancer happens, its harmful effects and how it can be treated. We want to make it available to newly-diagnosed mothers in local hospitals, clinics and health establishments. We also want to sell it to raise much-needed funds to enable LFBC to continue its critical charitable work.”
Since the M6toll opened 15 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes. This year, its online scheme will donate £20,000 to one ‘charity of the year’, with dozens of smaller awards made to community projects.
Maxine Estevez, from M6toll, said: “When our charity committee heard about the amazing work that LFBC Charitable Trust does and its latest book project, we were delighted to grant the donation. Diagnosis of cancer is devastating news for a family and the treatment that follows, which often results in emotional and physical changes, can be a daunting experience for children. This book is a fantastic resource and we’re proud to support it.”
In total, £43,000 will be distributed through the scheme, with a further £2,000 set aside for charity appeals suggested by M6toll staff.
The M6toll runs for 27 miles, from Junction 3a on the M6 all the way round the North East of the West Midlands, re-joining the M6 at Junction 11a. The road has an exemplary safety record and is equipped with emergency telephones, 24-hour control room and mobile Incident Support Units.
Read another article about Our Community Work Here.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity wins £20k prize
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has scooped £20,000 to fund its Sky Champs Education Programme thanks to an online public vote.
The lifesaving organisation polled the highest support from people across the region to be named M6toll’s Drive for Charity Partner 2019-20, with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust securing £8,000 as runner-up.
The funding initiative is part of the motorway’s £45,000 scheme to support a wide range of community projects, charities and voluntary organisations across the Midlands.
M6toll chief executive Andy Cliffe said: “Since the M6toll opened 15 years ago, we have donated more than £1million to regional good causes.
“We are delighted that the public got behind Midlands Air Ambulance Charity to vote them as our Drive for Charity Partner and we look forward to working alongside them over the next 12 months.”
The Sky Champs Education Programme offers engaging activities for Early Years and Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils through a series of free, downloadable resources.
Emma Gray, fundraising and marketing director for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “The M6toll has been a committed and supportive partner to the charity for 15 years, and we are truly grateful to them, and to everyone who voted for us, for the opportunity to further develop our Sky Champs Education Programme.
“Sky Champs has proven to be a vital tool in supporting young children’s education, bringing lessons to life with real examples from Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. As it is National Curriculum-based, lesson planning is simple, and classwork is both fun and engaging. Thanks to the support from M6toll, we will be expanding the programme to enable us to reach more schools within the six counties we cover.”
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust will use its £8,000 runner-up prize to fund a series of community engagement sessions, encouraging children and families to spend more time outdoors.
Shelley Pattison, senior community engagement officer (Tamworth) for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said: “We were thrilled to hear we had been shortlisted alongside so many other fantastic causes, so to win the runner-up prize has given us a great deal of pride.
“As part of our Wild About Tamworth project, we will use this money to create sessions for people of all ages in Tamworth to get them outdoors, be more connected with nature and to improve physical and mental health.
“The Wild About Tamworth project is now in its 15th year and has been supporting communities to look after their local green spaces since it launched. This funding will allow us to expand our engagement level in the area and we’re really excited about it.”
In addition to its charity of the year, M6toll also offers a monthly cash fund of up to £1,500 for local schools, sports clubs or voluntary groups through its Drive for Charity in the Community scheme. Applications can be made at 142.93.39.117/about-us/drive-for-charity
Andy Cliffe added: “We look forward to supporting many more local groups to make a positive difference along the route of the M6toll.”
The M6toll runs for 27 miles, from Junction 3a on the M6 all the way round the North East of the West Midlands, re-joining the M6 at Junction 11a. The road has an exemplary safety record and is equipped with emergency telephones, 24-hour control room and mobile Incident Support Units.
Read Another Article on our Drive for Charity Work Here.
Midlands charity steaming ahead after cash boost
A charity that is working to open the disused South Staffordshire railway as a leisure greenway has received £1,500 donation from M6toll.
Back the Track, a group of 12 volunteers, was selected as one of the M6toll’s monthly winners for its Drive for Charity in the Community campaign.
The fund aims to support community groups and projects across the Midlands as part of a £45,000 initiative.
The charity is actively working to open the disused South Staffordshire railway between Walsall and Lichfield as a leisure greenway, providing a range of benefits to the local community. It will use the donation to fund a container to house maintenance equipment
Mick Roseblade, from the charity, said: “We are a group of twelve, mostly retired, individuals who meet on workdays to remove litter, manage trees, improve pathways on the disused railway. We have currently hired diggers to provide improved drainage and are also working to introduce new access points to Chasewater and the Wyrley/Essington canal towpaths.
“We are delighted to have received this funding, which will purchase a new container to house tools necessary for the provision and long-term maintenance of the greenway.
“By providing new walkways and cycle paths, introducing flora and fauna, benches, improved access, and encouraging wildlife, we are hoping it will get people outdoors.
“We are inviting walking clubs, cyclists, dog walkers and the general public to increasingly use this traffic free greenway – providing health benefits to all users.”
Since the M6toll opened 15 years ago, operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL) have donated more than £1million to local good causes.
This year, its online scheme will see £20,000 given to one ‘charity of the year’, and dozens of smaller awards made to community projects.
Andy Cliffe, chief executive of M6toll, said: “We are proud to be supporting Back the Track and what is a fantastic facility for the community. It’s lovely to hear about the volunteers who take the time to preserve, maintain and enhance this space.
“We care about the towns and villages surrounding the toll road and our Drive For Charity scheme is designed to support them.”
In total, £43,000 will be distributed through the scheme, with a further £2,000 set aside for charity appeals suggested by M6toll staff.
The M6toll runs for 27 miles, from Junction 3a on the M6 all the way round the North East of the West Midlands, re-joining the M6 at Junction 11a. The road has an exemplary safety record and is equipped with emergency telephones, 24-hour control room and mobile Incident Support Units.
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