ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL YEAR OF FUNDRAISING FOR COASTAL WEST SUSSEX MIND

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has celebrated a successful year of fundraising for Coastal West Sussex Mind, the company’s House Charity for 2017. The charity was presented with a cheque for over £26,000 which will help fund Coastal West Sussex Mind’s support network for local young people, adults and families.

Coastal West Sussex Mind provides a support service for those experiencing mental health issues in West Sussex. The charity also works to challenge stigma and discrimination around mental health and offers training support for businesses wishing to increase mental health awareness in the workplace.

Rolls-Royce employees created some ingenious fundraising activities for the charity including abseiling down The Emirates Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, a chilli plant growing competition, sponsored runs and creating hundreds of personalised hand-crafted leather items to be sold at the company’s annual Family Day. Support was also provided through volunteering and donations from visitors to the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood, West Sussex.

Katie Glover, Chief Executive, Coastal West Sussex Mind, said, "We are overjoyed to receive such a generous amount from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and we are very grateful indeed. At Coastal West Sussex Mind our belief is that no one should have to face a mental health issue alone and these funds will help us continue to support local people who are facing mental health difficulties.”

She continued, "We rely on fundraising and donations for much of our work and to continue some of our programmes – such as our Families in Mind project in which we support parents with young children – so these funds from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars really will make a difference.”

Frank Ludwig, Director of Manufacturing, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “We are delighted to celebrate a successful year of fundraising for Coastal West Sussex Mind, and are humbled that our efforts will ensure the operation of the charity’s local support network. It is testament to the engagement by our talented team at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars with our house charity, and we look forward to maintaining a relationship with Coastal West Sussex Mind in the years to come!”

Rolls-Royce employees select an annual House Charity through a company-wide nomination and voting process. The company is supporting The Ickle Pickles Partnership in 2018. The charity turns gifts and donations from generous people into specialised lifesaving equipment, such as incubators and ventilators, to help Neonatal units provide high levels of care for the most unwell babies who need intensive care.