JCB raise £2 million for the NSPCC

HRH The Countess of Wessex receives cheque on behalf of the charity from Lady Bamford OBE

CHILDREN’s charity the NSPCC was this week given millions of reasons to smile thanks to the fundraising efforts of JCB employees and the generosity of company chairman Lord Bamford.

When JCB employees set out on the ‘Reaching Out to Children in Staffordshire’ appeal to raise £1 million for the NSPCC, Lord Bamford pledged to double the total to £2 million if the target was met.

With the goal achieved, on Tuesday 29 April he honoured his promise during a visit by HRH The Countess of Wessex to JCB’s World HQ in Rocester, Staffordshire.

Her Royal Highness, president of the NSPCC, received a cheque for £2 million on behalf of the charity from Lady Bamford OBE, the wife of JCB’s chairman, after meeting dozens of the employees who had made the donation possible.

Part of the proceeds of the appeal has been used to purchase a service centre for the NSPCC in Newcastle-under-Lyme, which provides a range of services for children at risk of harm or abuse.

Called Carole House in honour of JCB and Lady Bamford’s support of the NSPCC over more than 30 years, the facility was officially opened by The Countess of Wessex earlier in the day.

Lady Bamford, said: ‘JCB have a wonderful history of raising money for the NSPCC. Being here today to celebrate the happy culmination of our campaign for the new NSPCC service centre is a shared moment of immense pride for all of us.

‘We set an ambitious target of one million pounds, and it was reached through tough economic times; yet always with great enthusiasm and innovation. Every single penny raised is being spent here in Staffordshire, JCB’s home for almost 70 years.’

Deborah Chandos-Hall, the NSPCC’s head of Midlands fundraising, said: ‘We have been completely overwhelmed by the tenacity and commitment shown by Lord and Lady Bamford, JCB and its employees, in raising such a phenomenal sum of money.

‘Every pound makes a difference but two million pounds is a dream come true, and a sum of this magnitude makes a significant impact on how we can reach out to the children who need us.

‘We are extremely grateful to each and every person who has supported this appeal; although they may never meet the children in Staffordshire they are helping, I sincerely hope they have some sense of what a powerful thing they have done.’