Mazda sends cars to disaster response charity as it battles Covid-19

The cars will help Team Rubicon UK support emergency services and vulnerable people.

19 May 2020 at 10:40

Japanese car maker Mazda has supplied a fleet of cars to a disaster response charity as it helps the fight against coronavirus. The vehicles, which include CX-5 SUVs and Mazda6 saloons, will be used by Team Rubicon UK to support frontline emergency services and vulnerable communities.

Team Rubicon UK (TRUK) “repurposes” the skillsets of military personnel to help out in crisis situations around the world. Staffed mainly by ex-military volunteers, the organisation is also designed to help ex-service personnel transition back into civilian life.

Last year alone, Team Rubicon claims to have helped more than 250,000 victims of disaster worldwide, helping out in locations including the Bahamas, Mozambique and Yorkshire. Now, the organisation has launched Operation RE:ACT to help the UK fight Covid-19.

Fittingly, given TRUK’s military connection, the cars Mazda has provided to help with Operation RE:ACT have been supplied through Mission Motorsport, a charity that uses motorsport to help wounded, injured and sick veterans and serving personnel. The cars were prepared for their task, meanwhile, by Worcester-based vehicle management company SMH Fleet Solutions.

“Team Rubicon UK is standing up its capability and bringing in our disaster response expertise to help the UK to overcome the biggest peace-time challenge it has ever faced,” said Ben Lampard, director of operations at TRUK. “We have been working alongside the UK government, British Armed Forces and the UK voluntary and community sector to set up a national cell to organise and coordinate volunteers”.

“With the launch of Op RE:ACT, Team Rubicon UK is mobilising the UK’s military veterans who have answered the nation’s call for volunteers. Our veterans have served their country with pride and distinction and they’re ready to step forward to serve again, this time on home soil. Now more than ever their unique skills and experience can help to protect and save UK lives.”

Meanwhile Jeremy Thomson, the managing director of Mazda in the UK, said the company saw the donation of vehicles as a way of helping fight coronavirus in a “small way”.

“We have supported Mission Motorsport since their inception,” said Thomson. “The Covid-19 emergency affects us all and we all have a part to play in the fight against the virus. We see the support of Team Rubicon as an extension of our support for military veterans and an opportunity to contribute in a small way to the fight.”