Michelin has reaffirmed its commitment to international development organisation Transaid, the official charity of the transport and logistics industry, after renewing its corporate membership and pledging to fundraise a further £25,000 in cycle challenge sponsorship during 2020.
The renewal extends a relationship which began when Transaid was founded as an independent charity by Save the Children and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) in 1998, backed by a handful of founding members which included Michelin.
Chris Smith, Managing Director of Michelin Tyre plc, says: “Transaid holds a special significance within Michelin because we have been closely involved since the very beginning.
“We are regularly humbled by their achievements and it gives us a great sense of pride to know we are directly supporting the huge impact they have on the ground in sub-Saharan Africa.”
In addition to pledging financial support through its membership, this September will see Smith lead a six-strong Michelin cycling team on a two-wheel adventure across Malawi to raise additional funds. The event will mark the charity’s 10th African cycle challenge since 2006, and the ninth in a row to feature a Michelin team, who will cycle alongside nearly 40 other fundraisers. The group will average 60 miles per day on a route graded as challenging, and which will take in the mighty Zomba Plateau – a mountain which soars to more than 2,080m.
Smith explains: “Transaid’s cycle challenges are hugely popular internally, and a great way for us to raise additional unrestricted funding to support the organisation’s life-saving projects. We’ve selected riders from across all areas of our business to take part this year and I’m very excited to be heading the team, having taken part in Cycle Tanzania five years ago.”
Michelin is also evaluating opportunities to lend further technical expertise to Transaid’s professional driver training projects in 2020, having previously seconded a member of its team to deliver tyre safety training at the National Institute of Transport in Tanzania.
For further information on the Michelin commercial vehicle tyre range visit http://trucks.michelin.co.uk/
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Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tyres, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has more than 125,000 employees and operates 67 tyre production facilities which together produced around 190 million tyres in 2018. (www.michelin.com)
For further press information please contact:
David Johnson, Michelin Press Office
Tel: + 44 (0) 1782 402341 Email: d.johnson@michelin.com
Dan Jones or James Keeler, Garnett Keeler PR, Inver House, 37-39 Pound Street,
Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3PG
Tel: +44 (0)20 8647 4467 E-mail: dan.jones@garnettkeeler.com / james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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