There is no time like the present to commemorate great courage. BECG is proud to be working closely with The National Spitfire Project – launching its fundraising appeal on the eve of the 77th anniversary of VE-Day, 8 May, for the construction of the official national monument to a great British icon – the Supermarine Spitfire.
The National Spitfire Monument will appear to soar into the skies over the English Channel at Southampton, next to the Spitfire’s Hampshire birthplace. It will commemorate the men and women from over 30 allied countries who designed, built, flew, and maintained this iconic aircraft during the Second World War – honouring the past and inspiring future generations.
Standing 40m tall – around twice the height of the Angel of the North and on a par with the Statue of Liberty – the monument will be a gleaming stainless-steel structure, one and a half times the size of the original aircraft. Roundels and emblems in the base will be interactive and educational, and the monument is expected to be seen by more than seven million people every year.
The monument has official backing at national and local levels – with £3m match funding promised by the UK Government and the support of Southampton City Council. BECG is proud to be supporting The National Spitfire Project with pro bono marketing and PR support, including the creation of a brochure as well as national and local media coverage, including an article on page 10 and online in The Telegraph this weekend.
John M Hannides, Chairman of the National Spitfire Project and Southampton City Councillor said:
The Spitfire is a great British icon. It embodies courage and hope against adversity, it is the epitome of engineering excellence and innovation, and it represents the spirit of collaboration too – diversity and unity, coming together for a common cause. During the Second World War, men and women from all over the world helped raised funds to ‘build a Spitfire’ for the war effort.
Thanks to Government funding, we’ve secured half the money already to build this stunning monument, and now we need the public’s help to raise the remaining £3m. Every penny counts – it’s a monument in peacetime that sends a message: we will remember them.
Royston Smith GM MP, one of the Trustees of the National Spitfire Project, said:
The iconic Spitfire was instrumental in defending our country during WW2 but particularly during the Battle of Britain. This country and our lives would have been very different but for the heroism of the young pilots who bravely took to the skies in R J Mitchell’s magnificent feat of engineering.
We are proud to call Southampton the home of the Spitfire and I am grateful to the Government for trusting us to deliver this project and for supporting it by match funding donations with £3m from Treasury.
Stephen Pomeroy, CEO of the BECG Group commented:
When we were approached with the opportunity to support the vision of the National Spitfire project, we leapt at the chance. I’m grateful to our team members who have embraced this project with such passion. The monument is an opportunity to create a meaningful and internationally significant tribute that honours the past and looks to the future.
I’m confident it will encourage and inspire future generations of pilots and engineers, and will celebrate the lesser-known diversity behind the Spitfire. I can’t wait to see how the public embraces this fundraising launch.
More information is available online here, or you can donate by visiting here.
