Thakeham donates over 100 Goodwood Festival of Speed tickets to Mission Motorsport

Festival fun for Mission Motorsport families

Sussex-based property developer Thakeham donated over 100 tickets for this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 12 – 15) to the Mission Motorsport charity. Mission Motorsport distributed the tickets to families with members including people affected by military operations.

The charity was established in 2012 to assist people through team participation in Motorsport. Thakeham was the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s new sponsor of the family experience. Thakeham hosted a range of new activities in the 2,500 square feet family experience, previously sponsored by Vauxhall.

Rob Boughton, Managing Director at Thakeham, said: “We take an active interest in any way our business can help former armed forces personnel in our local communities. We support events and have introduced recruitment programmes.”

“Our ticket donation was a simple way to share some fun at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We were especially delighted to partner with Mission Motorsport who helped our tickets reach such worthy recipients. We hope everyone had a wonderful time.”

Supporting local service people

Thakeham already has a history of supporting local service people. The Billingshurst-based company supports the annual CTP Employment Fair which introduces service veterans to local and national employers.

Thakeham also runs a ‘Talent for Development’ outreach campaign for military veterans and college leavers. Former armed service personnel now work for the company having benefited from the program.

James Cameron, CEO at Mission Motorsport, said: “Recovery is more than about the serviceman’s journey – the family unit are all affected by military service in one way or another. Helping service families to thrive is one of the most meaningful ways that we can use the excitement and thrill of motor sport to help those in need. The joy that has been shared over the Festival of Speed by 125 veterans and family members has been wonderful to see, and we are hugely grateful to Thakeham for their support. They truly understand that ‘family’ and ‘community’ is what is important to individuals.”

Putting smiles on faces

Andy Heckles, who received a donated ticket, said: “This year’s FoS put a smile on mine and my family’s faces. I saw my wife happy, relaxed and enjoying herself last week, which was down to much more than the cars. Recovery for me has been relatively simple, because I have received world-class medical treatment and rehabilitation to get to where I now am, and by virtue of the injury I generally don’t remember the bad times. My family do remember, and my wife had to get on with life as normal whilst having to look after an incapacitated, and during the early months difficult husband. Being at FoS with Mission Motorsport gave her the opportunity to spend time with people who understand and can empathise with what she’s been through. That the setting was the country’s premier car festival was a bonus.”

Raising awareness

Nicola Sage, occupational therapist, said: “The Festival of Speed was a fantastic opportunity for the Mission Motorsport team to raise awareness about the charity and to reach out to veterans and serving personnel. This is a spectacular event, which provides beneficiaries with the chance to see and experience motor racing at its best and has enabled our healthcare professionals to promote the support they can offer. This was exemplified by providing mental health support to beneficiaries, who struggle in crowds and events of this scale, providing a place of refuge and someone to talk to. We also encountered some new beneficiaries for whom we will provide ongoing support. Thank you so much!”

Since inception in 2012, Mission Motorsport has delivered more than 4000 training days of sport for almost 1,300 beneficiaries, leading to over 200 placements, and more than 100 jobs.