Hero the Historic Endurance Rally Organiser have stepped up to create a number of different programmes enabling the rally community to raise money for The NHS Charities Together Appeal. during this difficult time.

One of their initiatives is called StarterMotor – a historic car charity entirely focussed on the next generation.

The aim of StarterMotor is to provide access to careers through apprenticeships and other training opportunities, working hand-in-glove with partners such as The Heritage Skills Academy, Hero ERA, Bicester Motion, Hagerty and Goodwood. It also encourages classic car businesses to engage with the next generation by providing job opportunities. It has a fleet of ’training cars’ for colleges to use and young people to drive.

Before the pandemic StarterMotor had been supporting approaching 200 apprentices at HSA and others with a target to see that grow to more than 500 in the next two years.

NOW – Hero are joining forces with charity partner StarterMotor to highlight the plight of young apprentices in the historic motoring world who have lost placements with engineering companies or events in the lock down. Through this platform, together we aim to canvass your support and help to ease their path for when normalised activities resume.

Apprentices need to be fed with home course work and skills updates online in the interim. We need to develop more potential apprenticeship placement opportunities for normal times ahead and we want to encourage apprentices to ‘home project’ if they have space/tools for the interim to keep practising their skills. HERO ERA will be bringing in senior officials to help transfer their event marshalling skills to the next generation to add further experience and encouragement in event operation. Apprentices will earn a marshals certificate and can put that into practice on a HERO ERA event.

Above all we don’t want historic engineering apprentices to lose hope or ambition. HERO2Help and StarterMotor aim to help orchestrate a programme that keeps the young bloods motivated and focussed on their future in the historic motoring industry.

Can you help?  – Would you be prepared to make a monetary contribution? Support funding to be paid directly to StarterMotor as a registered charity via Just Giving – https://justgiving.com/campaign/apprenticelifeline

What other help can you offer?

• Online Tuition
• Home Project Construction
• Future Placement

if you can offer any of the above please kindly email StarterMotor directly at: info@startermotor.co

If you are kind enough to make a monetary contribution, an audited expense receipt will be issued after payment with each contributor receiving a numbered certificate of provision which will go into a prize draw at the end of the lock down

• 1st Prize – Bicester Heritage Tour with StarterMotor. Arrive & Drive classic or vintage rally car drive on the Bicester Heritage track with family friends
• 2nd Prize – A free entry into a HERO Challenge Rally
• 3rd Prize – A selection of HERO merchandise

You can find out more about all of HEROs Charity initiatives here