Eddie Stobart helps raise over £730,000 for Cancer Research UK

Stobart Group and stars from the channel Five hit – Eddie Stobart: Trucks & Trailers – came together in London on Saturday night to support Ronan Keating’s annual Emeralds & Ivy Ball and help raise almost three quarters of a million pounds in aid of Cancer Research UK and The Marie Keating Foundation.

Stobart Group sponsored the event, held at the iconic Battersea Power Station, as part of its 40th Anniversary celebrations.  The support contributed towards a massively successful evening and helped raise vital funds towards Cancer Research UK’s and The Marie Keating Foundation’s cancer awareness units, which tour the UK and Ireland bringing cancer information and trained nurses into communities.

The evening, which featured stunning performances from The Saturdays and Britain’s Got Talent winners Spelbound, kicked off with a special presentation by Eddie Stobart driver and star of Eddie Stobart: Trucks & Trailers, Mark Dixon, who appeared on stage to hand over a cheque for £151,700 – which is the 2010 revenue from his now famous truck: Phoebe Grace.

Stobart Group CEO, Andrew Tinkler, said: “We have a very close relationship with Cancer Research UK and the excellent Foundation set up by Ronan in memory of his mother, and wanted to do something special to help raise awareness of the magnificent work these charities and their dedicated nurses do.  We thought that a year’s revenue from our most famous truck of 2010 would be a great idea – and we’re absolutely delighted with what it has raised.”

Stobart Group COO, William Stobart, added: “We thought long and hard about how to mark 40 years on the road for Eddie Stobart Limited, and supporting these charities’ life-saving work through the Emeralds & Ivy Ball has provided the most worthy occasion and cause to record this significant milestone.  The success of Phoebe Grace as a fundraiser has inspired us to do the same again with a new truck that replaces her in 2011 – liveried in a special Cancer Research UK wrap and again appearing on the TV show to hopefully raise even more money next year.”

Eddie Stobart was registered as a limited company in 1970, with just a handful of trucks and contracts in the north of England.  In the ensuing 40 years it has grown to become one of the UK’s most iconic brands with a fleet of nearly 2,000 trucks employing 5,000 people from 40 locations across the country.  Stobart Group is now listed in the FTSE250 on the London Stock Exchange and has expanded to count ports, rail, biomass and air divisions amongst its holdings – including Carlisle Lake District and London Southend Airport – as well as one of the UK’s largest ports business’ at the Mersey Multimodal Gateway in Widnes within its operations.

The hugely successful observational documentary Eddie Stobart: Trucks & Trailers aired on channel Five this autumn is testament to the affection for the company’s iconic vehicles, and returns by popular demand with a Christmas special in January and Series Two from Easter 2011.

Ronan Keating, who hosted and performed at the Ball, said: “What an awesome night!  I can’t thank my friends at Stobart enough – they’ve made all this possible, and ultimately have secured the services of six specialist cancer care nurses and two units for the next twelve months.  Obviously it means a great deal to me personally, and even more to those who benefit directly from access to cancer information and the amazing nurses on the mobile cancer awareness units.”

Stobart’s new Cancer Research UK Volvo truck took centre stage at the Emeralds & Ivy Ball, and to start the fundraising, several truck-related items were auctioned – one to name the vehicle – in the Eddie Stobart tradition, others bid to put their names on the side of the trailer, and the tail-gate was also auctioned to the highest bidder for use as advertising space for the coming year.  Combined with the previous truck’s revenue for the year and a selection other fantastic auction items, the auction contributed towards a total of over £730,000 raised on the night.

Watch out for the Eddie Stobart: Trucks & Trailers Christmas Special – to be aired on channel Five on 7 January 2011.