9th May 2019

SDC Trailers raise £70,000 for Age NI and announce partnership with Action Mental Health

Local semi-trailer manufacturer, SDC, have raised over £70,000 during a two-year charity partnership with Age NI, the leading charity for older people in Northern Ireland. Employees of the SDC Group, including MDF Engineering in Antrim, raised the funds through payroll giving and other fundraising activities, the group had three teams in the Belfast Marathon and two full marathon runners; Jimmy Cassidy (SDC) and Chris McPolin (MDF).

Nadine Campbell, Head of Fundraising at Age NI said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at SDC Trailers and MDF Engineering for all their support for Age NI over the past two years. The amount raised is absolutely phenomenal and is testament to the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of all staff in supporting us through payroll giving, donations and a range of fundraising activities. Funds raised will help us to provide a range of advice, care and support to older people across Northern Ireland, helping them to stay independent, connected and inspiring them to love later life.”

Funds raised by SDC Trailers have helped to support Age NI’s wide range of services for older people in Northern Ireland, including providing support to older people through its Advice and Advocacy Service and range of Care and Wellbeing services. In addition to fundraising activities, the partnership generated greater awareness of the charity’s services and engagement with the local community during a health check and information day hosted by SDC.

Commenting on the collaboration, SDC’s CEO Enda Cushnahan said: “The SDC group appoint a new charity partner every two years so that we can make an impact in different sectors and use our reach to raise awareness where possible. I am delighted that the partnership with Age NI has been so successful, raising over £70,000 to support the charities activities, our employees have embraced the partnership and have made a highly positive contribution to the services for older people in Northern Ireland.”

SDC have nominated Action Mental Health as their new charity partner for 2019 - 2021. The Action Mental Health Group are a local charity which works to enhance the quality of life and the employability of people with mental health needs, or a learning disability in Northern Ireland. SDC’s team were impressed by the wide range of services provided by Action Mental Health and are kick starting the collaboration during Mental Health Awareness Week from 13th – 19th May, with a representative from the charity visiting SDC’s facilities to raise awareness of the services that they provide.

Enda added: “I am pleased that we will be working with Action Mental Health and providing support towards an illness that is particularly prevalent in Northern Ireland. As one of NI’s largest employers, we have a responsibility to promote healthy well-being, both within the company and in the wider community, we are looking forward to building a strong relationship with Action Mental Health over the next two years and highlighting the support and services that are available.”

The partnership will encompass various fundraising activities as well as employee / community wellbeing initiatives and work with local schools to encourage uptake of the charity’s ‘Healthy Me’ and ‘Provoking Thought’ programmes, which promote social and emotional wellbeing to children and young people in local schools. These emotional resilience programmes are essential to building a more resilient youth, fostering healthier work places for the future and creating a more caring and nurturing environment for generations to come.

Jonathan Smyth from Action Mental Health welcomed the new partnership saying: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected as the new charity partner for SDC. For many years mental health faced great stigma and was rarely discussed in workplaces or elsewhere, so to see a large employer such as SDC take on the challenge of promoting positive mental health both in the workplace and in wider society is hugely encouraging. AMH’s specially trained project workers provide mental health and emotional resilience training to organisations and schools across Northern Ireland and the support from SDC and their employees will help to carry out this vital work.”

SDC employ over 800 people with 3 manufacturing facilities in Northern Ireland in Toomebridge, Magherafelt and Antrim, as well as facilities in Mansfield and Sutton in England. They are the UK and Ireland’s largest manufacturer of semi-trailers for the road haulage and logistics industry, with an output exceeding 8,000 units in 2018. The manufacturer recently opened a new Sales centre in Sutton following a £7million expansion at their Co. Antrim Headquarters last year.