Roundabout: Bangers and Cash 2023

This year Gripple employees have been supporting Roundabout, a charity focussed on eliminating youth homelessness in the South Yorkshire region. Following the successful Bangers and Cash 2018 event which raised over £96,000 for Roundabout, the Sheffield-based youth homeless charity decided to go back on the road in 2023!

Our Ideas & Innovation (I&I) team have supported Bangers and Cash 2023 over the last few months by building various ‘bonnet easels’ for the Bangers and Cash arts trail - all items were manufactured by our team of design engineers at our Innovation Centre located on Don Road in Sheffield. All the easels were used to display various colourful bonnets and road signs at ‘Art in the Gardens’, one of the largest art markets in Northern England!

   
(Gripple's I&I team hard at work making the bonnet easels)

Gripple also decided to get involved in the actual race too! Our selected team of David Eastwood, Ben Scott and Simon Hardwick formed ‘Team Misfits’ and took part in the Bangers and Cash car rally from 14th to 18th September 2023. They competed against other teams as they raced from Meadowhall in Sheffield to Munich in cars worth £1,500 or less! The Gripple team travelled 1,092 miles through eight countries while wearing lederhosen and raising funds for Roundabout.

Gripple’s rally car was a 2002 Volvo S40 – our team nicknamed the golden-coloured vehicle ‘Gerty’. The bonnet was swapped out for a colourful replacement during the rally.

   
(Left to right; David Eastwood, Simon Hardwick and Ben Scott)

During the Bangers and Cash rally, the bonnet artwork ‘Diversion’ displayed on the front of ‘Gerty’ was designed by Jo Peel. Jo gets her inspiration from quiet moments within cities that could pass by unnoticed. For more info on Jo Peel’s work please click here. 

Throughout the rally, all teams were asked to check into different locations, earning points by completing challenges on the way to Munich. Our Gripple team also made an additional stop in Obernai to visit our French manufacturing facility!

('Gerty' parked outside Gripple Europe's building in Obernai, France)

After all the rally teams arrived at the finish line in Munich, an awards ceremony took place in the city centre to celebrate the teams’ achievements. Following the conclusion of the race and the return of all teams to South Yorkshire, all 22 car bonnets were displayed across various locations in Sheffield from 14th to 29th October as part of a public arts trail across the half term holidays.

The bonnets were suspended from frames manufactured by Gripple’s I&I team – in order to suspend and display the artwork, Gripple’s Sheffield-manufactured wire rope hangers were used to suspend the colourful car bonnets!

(Bangers and Cash 2023 bonnets being suspended using Gripple products while on display in Sheffield)

To date, Gripple has raised a total of £5,473 for Roundabout through various fundraising activities including Bangers and Cash 2023, sponsored runs and a car raffle – all funds raised will go towards supporting young people across South Yorkshire. To make a donation to Roundabout please click here. 

All car bonnets from Bangers and Cash 2023 were auctioned off to raise additional funds for Roundabout – the Bangers and Cash Auction Dinner took place at the Victoria Crowne Plaza in Sheffield on 3rd November 2023.

The 'Diversion' bonnet from Gripple's rally car was very popular on the night and went to national broadcaster Dan Walker! We have no doubt Dan will take good care of the 'Diversion' bonnet designed by the amazing Jo Peel! Our team were successful with bidding on Tom J Newell's 'Love Cat' bonnet, Sian Ellis' 'Monster Machine' bonnet and Jo Peel's 'Diversion' road sign!

(Left to right: Tom J Newell's 'Love Cat' bonnet and Sian Ellis' 'Monster Machine' bonnet)