MBDA UK’s Charity Dinner raises more than £200,000 for good causes

Since it began in 1995, MBDA’s annual Charity Dinner has raised in the region of £2 million for multiple causes.

MBDA in the UK has raised £201,700 for a mixture of local and military charities at its annual Charity Dinner in central London on 14 November. Customers, suppliers, shareholders, partners and MBDA staff all purchased tickets for the money-raising event, which contributed to the total on the night. Attendees at the event also donated throughout the evening through live and silent auctions, a raffle and prize boards. During the evening’s proceedings, guests also heard from speakers on behalf of some of the charities being supported.

Andy Reid, an Ambassador for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, who spoke at the event, said: “It was a pleasure to be a part of this year’s MBDA Dinner in honour of their continued commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community. The outstanding amount of funds raised does much to support soldiers, veterans and their families in times of need, along with the wider Armed Forces family.

Darren Isted from Garden House Hospice, who also spoke at the event, said: “The decision by MBDA to support Garden House Hospice Care both at the charity dinner and for our 30th anniversary celebrations in 2020 is warmly welcomed. Garden House needs to raise almost £5m a year to continue providing exceptional care to local people with a life limiting illness. We are only able to deliver this care free of charge, thanks to generous supporters such as MBDA.

At the end the evening a cheque for the money raised was presented to the guest of honour, Assistant Chief of the General Staff Major General Ralph Wooddisse, who received it on behalf of the chosen charities.

Chris Allam, MBDA’s UK managing director, who presented the cheque for the money raised, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have raised more than £200,000 for charities in support of our local community and our armed forces. The support from the defence community here this evening makes a huge difference to so many lives, and it has been fantastic this evening to hear first-hand from our beneficiaries to understand the positive impact our fundraising this evening will make.

The money raised from the evening will be shared between three armed forces charities, with staff across MBDA’s thee sites in the UK – Stevenage, Bolton and Bristol – each choosing two local charities:

Jim Hardcastle from Avon & Somerset Search and Rescue said: “We are truly grateful to the support of MBDA that helps us help people far from help. We get called by the police to search for members of the public who are missing and whose lives are considered to be in imminent danger, in complex and steep terrain, on cliffs and floods. As a charity the team members raise all the funds alongside the callouts and training, so help from companies like MBDA is amazing!

Caroline Savage, Interim Director of Income Generation and Communications at Bolton Hospice, said: “We’re very grateful to MBDA for their generous support and for choosing to raise vital funds for Bolton Hospice. The funds raised will help the hospice to provide specialist care and support for local people with terminal or life-limiting illnesses, either at the hospice or through our Hospice at Home service.

Andy Liebow from Dexter’s Odyssey said: “Our aim at Dexter’s Odyssey is to ease families’ journey through childhood cancer. This simply wouldn’t be possible without companies like MBDA supporting us, we are thrilled to be chosen and part of this year’s charity dinner. The money raised will go directly to help families in their most time of need.’’

Adam Brockett from Isabel Hospice said: “We are extremely delighted and grateful that MBDA have chosen Isabel Hospice as one of their local charities to support at the charity dinner this year. All our care we provide is free, but we need to raise £17,000 every day to keep our Hospice running. We rely heavily on fundraising events such as this for income. Funds raised from the evening will allow us to continue providing vital patient care in our community.

Claire Hall, Head of Fundraising Partnerships at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “This year, the RAF Benevolent Fund celebrates its 100th birthday. To mark the centenary, we have launched an ambitious campaign to reach even more serving and retired RAF personnel in need, something we simply could not do without the support of companies like MBDA. We are extremely proud to have their support and to be a part of such a fabulous fundraising event that helps to ensure we can continue to provide financial, practical and emotional support to more members of the RAF Family in need. From all of us here at the Fund – a big thank you.

Dawn Ingram, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be part of the MBDA Charity Dinner as one of the beneficiary charity partners. The MBDA team go above and beyond to make this a huge event and maximise its support for all involved. The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity are proud to have this special relationship with MBDA and grateful for the opportunity to raise our profile amongst the defence industry.”

Diane Hummerston, Head of Fundraising at When You Wish Upon A Star, said: “We are thrilled to have been selected as one of the beneficiaries of the MBDA Charity Dinner. MBDA’s support means When You Wish Upon A Star will be able to grant more magical Wishes for children and their families, helping to create special memories in what can be a very difficult time in their lives. Thank you on behalf of all our Wish families!

Since it began in 1995, MBDA’s annual Charity Dinner has raised in the region of £2 million for multiple causes, supporting local community charities, and military charities. The first Charity Dinner was held in 1995, when the “British Aerospace Dynamics Charity Challenge Evening” at the Cafe Royal raised £5,650 for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The momentum of the event grew from and the monies raised since have traditionally been split between national military charities and local charities from the areas where our UK sites are based.
In 2012, the total monies raised from the Dinners broke through the £1M barrier, and 2018 was a record year when £210,000 was raised.