Red Cross Week: Celebrating Inner Strength

To coincide with International Red Cross and Red Crescent Week, which runs from 6-12 May, Land Rover has created a film celebrating the life-saving and life-changing services of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) volunteers.

In Land Rover's 70th anniversary year, which celebrates stories of Inner Strength, this is the first in a series of three films which highlight extraordinary Red Cross volunteering stories in projects supported by Land Rover.

The first film showcases an Italian Red Cross volunteering project – The Streets of Solidarity - which supports thousands of homeless people in Milan. Take a look at the film on YouTube here.

For over 60 years Land Rover have supported the Red Cross, making their global relief efforts possible.  

Here are 10 things to know about our long-running partnership:

• Land Rover has been supporting Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies since 1954 – 64 years in total. 

• The relationship started when Land Rover loaned a vehicle which the Red Cross converted to a medical dispensary to help people in Dubai.
  

• Since 2013, Land Rover has funded 18 projects, across 4 continents and in 25 countries, and donated almost £10 million to reach almost one million people.

• Land Rover has donated/loaned and leased 127 vehicles to the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, covering terrain from Iceland to Sub Saharan Africa.

• In the last 10 years, on average these vehicles will have covered a staggering 10 million miles.

• The highest spec vehicle to be given to the Red Cross is Project HERO, currently in development with SVO, this advanced communications vehicle will use drone technology in disaster response scenarios.

• The largest project is in the UK. The Support at Home project is spread across 11 rurally isolated locations. It provides one on one support over 6 to 12 weeks to people who find themselves socially disconnected, and reconnecting them with their local community.

• Other projects focus on the homeless, the unemployed, health education, access to water, and sanitation and disaster preparedness.

• The latest project in Mexico to receive Land Rover funding and vehicle support enables the Mexican Red Cross to help indigenous people based in the Chiapas mountains to prepare, plan and cope with disasters. On 7 September 2017, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit Chiapas. This was one of the most devastating earthquakes to hit Mexico highlighting the need for building resilience in this community.

• In the last year Jaguar Land Rover employees from Castle Bromwich, Gaydon, Halewood, Solihull, Warwick University and Whitley volunteered almost 1,000 hours to support the Red Cross on projects ranging from CALMER (Psycho Social) training, First Aid training, Apprentice Challenge team building, logistical and warehouse support for the Grenfell disaster, and Missing Maps Mapathon events.

If you would like to find out how you could volunteer for the British Red Cross to support projects like Support at Home, take a look at their website here.

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