Three new charities chosen for South Kesteven District Council’s colourful fleet

Back in 2022, in the wake of the pandemic, SKDC received some incredible news – teammate Rachael Bradley was finally free of breast cancer. Having previously been diagnosed with the life-changing illness, she had made a full recovery, an astonishing feat which inspired her to later found the peer-to-peer support group, Breast Friends Grantham.

Dedicated to raising greater awareness of the risks of breast cancer and the fantastic work done by Breast Friends, Rachael’s peers at SKDC decided to paint one of their Dennis Eagle bin lorries a very vibrant pink and brand this with messaging to encourage more women to check for any symptoms regularly. Branded in partnership with Breast Cancer Now to reflect its ‘Wear It Pink’ campaign, this vital gesture was only the start of a remarkable and continuing journey to spread even more crucial charity-based messages across South Kesteven.

Championing incredible causes with innovative RCVs

Last year, the council welcomed five more colourful trucks to its lineup, with four 26-tonne Elite+ 6x4 RCVs and one Elite+ 6x2 Narrow sporting distinctive liveries in support of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Bowel Cancer UK, Kidney Research UK, the Royal British Legion, and Grantham Samaritans. Added to their bright blue RCV, which was commissioned to promote the importance of prostate cancer awareness, the latest three trucks will bring their total charity freighters up to 10. These form part of the council’s wider fleet of roughly 50 Dennis Eagle vehicles, typically a Brunswick Green, with aspirations for every future RCV to receive its own new colour and inspiring charity message.

The three new additions to the fleet consist of a blue RCV to highlight the Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Specialist Service, a cause Rachael also works very closely with, a white RCV that will carry messaging for Help for Heroes, the UK Armed Forces charity, and a yellow RCV in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. All charities were selected specifically by the council’s members, all representing causes close to their hearts.

Cllr Rhys Baker, Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, said: “We set out three years ago on a mission to use our freighter fleet to carry highly visible health and wellbeing messages to residents. We are delighted to launch these three new lorries to continue that mission. We now have 10 freighters with wide-ranging messaging to appeal to different people. We get real interest and interaction from the public when they are out and about. That bodes well for our new lorries and how many people they will be helping.”

The new RCVs were officially launched into service and revealed for the first time at the council’s operations depot on Monday 17^th August, attended by SKDC officers and elected members, and representatives from each of the chosen charities. Now out on the road, the vehicles will be responsible for collecting a broad mix of different waste streams, spreading their impactful, life-saving messages across the district’s 365 square miles and over 60,000 households.

In fact, residents have been encouraged to spot the lorries during their rounds and take photographs, with the council’s waste teams fully behind the initiative and grateful to be involved in promoting the charities’ essential work all over the country. This success in mind, SKDC is now already considering a brand-new set of charities for next year’s vehicles. “We’ve been supplying vehicles to South Kesteven District Council for more than 20 years,” said Paul Rochester, General Sales Manager at Dennis Eagle. “We’re very proud that our RCVs have become a platform to raise awareness of these vital causes while continuing to support the council’s waste collection services. It’s fantastic to see our bin trucks creating value far beyond their intended purpose.”