As you many of us are aware, the Covid-19 pandemic has taken away some of our most loved classic car events this year.

 

LSMOC wanted to give something back to the hard working staff of the NHS during this time and decided to start an NHS fundraiser over what would have been our London To Brighton weekend in May.

 

We had a fantastic Virtual L2B and created some unique limited edition NHS Run Plaques, Window Stickers and Grille Badges. We also had a charity auction for what would have been one of our 2020 trophies.

 

Thanks to your support we raised an amazing £8000!

 

After discussions as a committee, I can reveal that we have chosen to support TASC, The Ambulance Staff Charity.

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Mini-lovers from across London and Surrey have been raising money for the national charity to help support the wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance staff.

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Throughout 2020, members of the London & Surrey Mini Owners Club (LSMOC), the largest regional Mini club in the UK, and host of the world-famous London to Brighton Mini run, have raised money for TASC to give something back to the hardworking ambulance staff after a particularly tough year during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The club, which formed in 1984 and now has over 800 members, had to cancel this year’s London to Brighton run, but instead held a virtual event with exclusive limited-edition merchandise, and a trophy charity auction to raise money for TASC.

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Nathan Clifford, LSMOC’s Chairman, said:

“This year more than ever before, ambulance staff across the country found themselves in dangerous and unprecedented situations. Having to adapt at short notice to new ways of working and some even being separated from loved ones in order to continue responding to life threatening calls.

Ambulance staff are often first on scene after a 999 call, putting themselves in harms way to provide high quality clinical care in a patient’s home or in public. This year, ambulance staff have and continue to provide care during what is the biggest pandemic of our lifetime. After discussions as a committee we decided to support TASC, The Ambulance Staff Charity.”

TASC is a national charity that is dedicated to caring for the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of the UK’s ambulance staff, their family members and ambulance service volunteers. The charity provides information, guidance and treatment services throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and other UK dependencies like Gibraltar and the Isle of Wight.

Formed in 2015, demand for TASC’s services is growing year-on-year and in 2019/20, the midlands-based charity provided 56% more interventions than the previous year and saw a 42% increase in the number of people who needed mental health support.

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Helen Poole, a TASC Trustee, said:

“The job ambulance staff do can be stressful even in normal times, but the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic have made things even harder for them. TASC’s work provides an important lifeline for the ambulance community when they’re in need and right now it’s more important than ever that TASC is here to care for those who care for us. 

I and my fellow TASC trustees are very grateful to all the members of the London & Surrey Mini Owners Club for their support and effort to raise vital funds for TASC. With their help, we can continue to provide crucial wellbeing services to ensure that ambulance staff are healthy, strong and ready to be there for us in our time of need.”

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At 3.30pm on Sunday 6th December, Helen received a donation cheque from Nathan Clifford and LSMOC committee members at a ceremony in Hyde Park’s Triangle car park featuring a few of the club’s Minis.