BAE forced to drop charity link

Josh | 11.01.2010 11:21 | Anti-militarism | Iraq

BAE has been forced by campaigners to sever its link with Sue Ryder Care.

BAE workers helping the troops

After a determined campaign by Action against Arms Trade (AaAT) Sue Ryder Care has been forced to drop BAE Systems as one of its corporate sponsors.

Sue Ryder Care only signed up BAE in 2008. At the time, Dick Olver, Chairman of BAE Systems, said: “We are pleased to welcome Sue Ryder Care as our new UK Charity Challenge partner. The partnership reinforces our commitment to giving money, time and equipment to the communities in which we work. Since we began our Charity Challenge employees fundraising scheme in 1989 BAE Systems’ employees have raised over £41 million.”

It is quite absurd that a company such as BAE which makes its money by producing equipment that kills people should pretend that it is committed to the ‘community’. At least its US wing had no problems – its website boasts that as part of its commitment to the community BAE employees helped serve meals, not to homeless people but as a ‘send-off’ before they went to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan (see picture).

AAT will shortly be announcing its next target for activists who want to adopt a more ‘hands-on’ approach to anti-arms trade campaigning.

And why not (politely, of course) let BAE’s charity co-ordinators know what you think about their antics:

Kim Phipps
Global Charity Challenge Campaign Leader (UK, Rest of the World)
Tel: +44(0) 1252 383236
Email:

kim.phipps@baesystems.com

Tracy Green
National Coordinator - Charity Challenge Australia
Tel: +61 (0)884 807 274
Email:

tracy.green@baesystems.com

Laura Nadeau
National Coordinator - Charity Challenge US
Tel: +1 (0)763 572 5919
Email:

Laura.Nadeau@baesystems.com

ActionAgainstArmsTrade (at) Googlemail.com

Josh
e-mail: ActionAgainstArmsTrade (at) Googlemail.com

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Brilliant news!

11.01.2010 11:45

Its good to see at least that someone is not only proactively confronting the arms trade and, more importantly, achieving resulting. For too long, we have had to endure the pointless and passive protests by Campaign Against the Arms Trade which seem only to show the arms companies how weak and ineffectual we can be.

A great victory!

Anon

Story is true

11.01.2010 14:55

I work for Sue Ryder Care and can confirm that we have ditched BAE Systems although, so far as I understand, one of the main reasons was because they failed to raise anything like as much money as they said they would. Even then, there were a lot of arguments over how much they had actually raised. BAE Systems were clearly only interested in boosting their own ethical credibility and showed little real interest in the charity’s work. Given their reputation, I don’t know why Sue Ryder Care ever thought that it was a sensible move but at least they will be more careful next time.

Relationship between BAE Systems and Sue Ryder Care

12.01.2010 09:35

I am duty bound to make an observation about the inaccurate and misleading posting made by someone signing themselves as AJ and claiming to work for Sue Ryder Care. The Charity of the Year arrangement agreed in 2008 between BAE Systems and Sue Ryder Care was never scheduled to last for more than 12 months. Both sides entered the relationship knowing that BAE Systems have a world-wide charity partnership programme which actively seeks new relationships every 12-15 months. There is no question of Sue Ryder Care abandoning the relationship - either because of discontent, or failed expectations. Indeed, we found BAE Systems to be an excellent business partner, whose staff proved to be solid friends during a most difficult financial period. The formal relationship ended as planned, although we hope that those who became friends of Sue Ryder Care will maintain contact.

We are grateful to BAE Systems and their staff for completing a most valuable relationship with dignity and style.

Eric Grounds, Director of Fundraising, Sue Ryder Care

Eric Grounds
mail e-mail: Eric.grounds@suerydercare.org
Homepage: http://www.suerydercare.org

The Sue Ryder vision of dignity and style

12.01.2010 10:11

"We are grateful to BAE Systems and their staff for completing a most valuable relationship with dignity and style."

Eric Grounds, Director of Fundraising, Sue Ryder Care

fukthearmstrade

So, how much does SUE RYDER CARE?

12.01.2010 10:20

What does Eric Grounds earn for courting killers?

fukbusinessmodelcharities

Economic with the truth

17.01.2010 07:58

Eric Grounds is being economic with the truth.

Sue Ryder Care went into a relationship with BAE Systems because one of his mates worked for the company. We were promised “millions” but it only delivered £400,000 – a lot, granted, but nothing like the amount that a large company could provide if it wanted to. Of course, if instead of raising money for genuine charities its ‘charitable’ work extends to feeding US troops before they fly off into battle, it is perhaps understandable why it failed to do so.

Anti-arms trade activists should be congratulated for confronting Sue Ryder Care on this issue and, hopefully, will hound other charities who dare to form a relationship with BAE Systems.

Well done

17.01.2010 17:28

Well done - it's good to have an insider who can expose this spin from Sue Ryder.

Anon

Sue Ryder Care censorship

17.01.2010 18:19

Its interesting to see that Sue Ryder Care has removed from its website a letter that Eric Grounds sent to the “team at BAE Systems”.

In the letter (which still exists in Google cache) he said that he “cannot resist the opportunity to express the delight of the whole team at Sue Ryder Care over our partnership with BAE Systems. There is a real sense of excitement coursing through the entire Charity”.

He said that Sue Ryder Care “see this relationship as a big deal and we want to give it every chance of success. In our terms, success means that it must be as good for BAE Systems as it is for Sue Ryder Care. We are brimming with enthusiasm, ideas and commitment”.

Anon