A Grand Day Out at the Transaid Cup

On 13^th July, in a small town called Ilkeston, Derbyshire, the Dawsongroup football teams – the Strategies and the Smarters – arrived to little fanfare for the inaugural Transaid Cup. Thirteen teams were ready to play for an excellent cause and have a fabulous day of fun in the sun.

One team in red, the other in blue, both topped their groups and qualified for the semi-finals. The Smarters played Michelin Factory, scoring the first goal but then succumbing to an agonising 2-1 defeat. The Strategies could not maintain their previous high level against Michelin Riverside, losing 5-0 and crashing out of the tournament to the eventual winners.

Congratulations to Michelin Riverside for their big victory!

The day was marked by both good and bad fortunes for the Dawsongroup Smarters. The supremely skilful, hat-trick grabbing Lyle Orange, Sales Executive for Dawsongroup truck and trailer, topped the goal scoring charts by the end of the group stage with four goals, while Nathan Indge, Group Facilities Manager for Dawsongroup, suffered a tournament-ending knee injury in just four minutes. Kyle Riley, Environmental Consultants for Dawsongroup, made some fine saves, but also suffered for his art with a fractured pinky finger.

But the most important part of the day was the £15,500 that was raised for Transaid together with Michelin, Goodyear, GXO, Kinaxia, Lytx, MAN, MEP Hire, and the RHA. It was fantastic to be supporting such an important cause. Founded by Save the Children, Transaid is committed to transforming lives through safe, available and sustainable transport in some of the world’s poorest regions, with a specific focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

It was fantastic to attend the day as a part of Open Hands, Dawsongroup’s Corporate Social Responsibility program. The program provides us with the opportunity to support those in need, including charities such as BEN and Millimetres to Mountains, through fundraising and donations. We are proud to work with Transaid and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.