Union Jack JCB to keep raising money for charity
Fork Rent pledge on-going fundraising for Help for Heroes
Ipswich-based plant-hire firm Fork Rent have taken delivery of their unique Union Jack JCB digger after a successful £70,250 auction bid and have pledged to keep the machine working hard for charity.
The company’s winning bid gave a big boost to Help for Heroes following an online auction in aid of the well-known charity before Christmas.
As he was handed the keys to his new machine at a special ceremony at JCB’s headquarters in Staffordshire, Fork Rent’s managing director Guy Nicholls said: ‘This is the beginning of a fundraising journey, not the end.
‘Our wounded servicemen and women are on a long road to recovery, so Fork Rent will make sure this distinctive Union Jack JCB digger carries on doing its bit to raise even more money for Help for Heroes. This means that our wounded service personnel, and their families, can continue to benefit from the wonderful rehabilitation support that Help for Heroes provides.’
JCB decided to stage the online auction over a two-week period in the run up to Christmas as part of a fundraising initiative for Help for Heroes. The Union Jack JCB 3CX Eco backhoe loader was the centrepiece of a festive Christmas-themed 200ft barge moored on The Thames opposite London’s South Bank to draw attention to the company’s fundraising efforts.
Bryn Parry, CEO and co-founder of Help for Heroes, said at the handover ceremony: ‘I’d like to say a huge thank you to JCB for this great auction opportunity that was such a success and I’m delighted that Fork Rent were so supportive of it and secured the winning bid. This has raised a lot of money for Help for Heroes and what’s even better is that Guy has come up with some great ideas to use the machine to continue doing his bit for our wounded Heroes.’
Some of the money generated by the online auction has already been used to fund gifts that were placed in festive Christmas stockings provided to some of the most seriously wounded servicemen and women at the charity’s Headley Court rehabilitation centre in Surrey.
After the handover ceremony a discussion took place as to how the Union Jack backhoe loader might be used to raise more funds for. This included the possibility of using the machine as a support vehicle on a charity cycle ride later this year from Plymouth to Edinburgh with a modified loader bucket on the front for taking cash donations from the public. JCB have also agreed to make some modifications to the machine if necessary to help Fork Rent leverage the future fundraising potential of the machine in support of Help for Heroes.
