It is just over 2 years since The C Group was established to raise funds for wounded Royal Marines. Since then, the Company has become a Registered Charity, a Company Limited by Guarantee and is a subsidiary of the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund (RMCTF).
Our Vision is that The C Group will become a high profile organisation operating on a significant scale to provide support to all serving and former Royal Marines in need. This will be through a world wide network of supporters in the business and wider communities who are committed to providing value in kind services, financial assistance and career opportunities. Whilst our initial and primary focus will be on supporting the wounded and injured during and after their transition to civilian life, we will develop, longer term, the capability to assist all Royal Marines leaving the Corps to secure employment.
Our Mission is: To mobilise the business and wider communities in support of all wounded and injured Royal Marines and those in need by providing:
Value in kind support
Financial assistance
Career guidance and job opportunities…
…whilst they are serving, in transition to civilian life and thereafter.
We intend to raise £2M towards the £6M goal of the RMCTF by the Corps’ 350th birthday in 2014 and to support the needs of Royal Marines through Value in Kind support from business, typified by mentoring, work placements and job opportunities.
Interest in The C Group gained significant traction at the Mountbatten Dinner in October last year when 350 people raised £125,000 at Sandy Park. This was followed by a London Dinner in March to help promote awareness of who we are and what we do. It was a huge success and generated significant interest from many London based companies.
Companies and organisations are beginning to look at C Group as a beneficiary of annual charitable support; East Devon Golf Club, Sidmouth Golf Club and some locally based Rotary Clubs are now involved. Recently Rothschild’s, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America all contributed donations and there is not a week goes by without us receiving a cheque in recognition of what we are doing. We receive donations from across the business community and from enterprising people who want to do something to help our wounded and injured. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things to remember those they have lost and benefit those who still suffer.
We have granted out over £135,000 to Royal Marines participating in activities such as Khumbu Challenge (trekking to Everest base Camp), Horseback UK (putting recovering RMs on cowboy horses) and SWS R&R (hunting, shooting & fishing with the locals of Dumfriesshire). We have given support to key equipment buys for Hasler Company and the Recovery Troops and individual Marines with particular requirements.
On 5 May we will be hosting 100 C Group members and supporters to a Meet the Marines day at CTCRM to raise awareness and promote both the Corps and C Group.
The next significant event is the Royal Marines Sportsman’s Dinner on behalf of The C Group. This will be held in the Hurlingham Club on 22 Jun and will be a Regimental Dinner with the band of HM Royal Marines and a few major sporting stars.
We will also be running the Mountbatten Dinner again at Sandy Park on 30 Sep to award the Mountbatten Sword for charitable services to the RM and to allow our growing foundation membership in the SW to have a great night out.
For further information, please contact Elli Govier on 01392 414042, 07968 386 746 or via execsec@thcgroup.org
