• Swindon & Wiltshire Community champions
• Friday September 1 2023
• Author Name: Peter Davison

SSGC hails veterans’ charity track day a success

More than 200 military personnel, veterans and their families attended a high-octane day out to remember at Croft Circuit, which raised more than £5,000 for charity.

Swindon-headquartered specialist security firm SSGC joined its nominated charity Mission Motorsport at the North Yorkshire racetrack on Tuesday, August 22, to offer high-speed passenger rides to current and former military personnel and their families.

Visitors were treated to plenty of track action, with 34 drivers taking to the circuit, supported by more than 30 volunteers including from SSGC and its contractor Equans.

More than 30 charities and organisations providing support to the military community, including Sporting Force, BLESMA, NAAFI and Help for Heroes, also exhibited at the event.

SSGC CEO David Stubbs, who is a former military policeman, hit the circuit in a track-tuned BMW M3 provided and prepared for the event by Auto RARA.

He said: “It was a great day, really well-attended and we were driving pretty much all through the day. It was a family fun day, so that meant we were taking sons, daughters and partners around the track as well as veterans and serving personnel.

“The M3 is a seriously quick car, so our passengers had an adrenaline-fuelled experience.

“I’d like to send out a huge thank you to all the staff from SSGC who volunteered for the day and to Auto RARA for providing the excellent M3. I know the team there worked extra hours to make sure the car made it to the track in top condition.

“I am particularly happy with our collaboration with our client Equans, who provided a number of volunteers for this event as part of our partnership to create better social value. It’s a real demonstration of the benefits businesses can bring to community.”

Mission Motorsport works with wounded, injured or sick (WIS) service leavers and veterans and helps those affected by military operations by engagement through sport.

SSGC’s sponsorship is part of its ongoing commitment to the charity, which has seen it raise more than £100,000 and provide more than 1,200 hours of volunteering for the charity to date.

SSGC has a long-standing link with the armed forces community and became the first security firm in the country to appoint a Veteran Engagement Director, Major (Retd) Pat Ralph MM, who coordinated the Croft event.

Mission Motorsport CEO and founder James Cameron said: “It was a fantastic day, really well attended and very well-supported by a great bunch of volunteers, charities and organisations.”