Sean Edwards Foundation announce Memorial Bike Ride to run at the Monaco Grand Prix

To celebrate the collaboration with the Milestone Group  and Formula-e (who will host the first Sean Edwards Pro-Am closed circuit race on the Monaco circuit with the Federation Monegasque of cycling (FMC) and the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM)  on May 13th,) the Sean Edwards Foundation is holding a Cocktail Party on the Tuesday the 8th November 2016 at the luxurious Lanesborough Hotel, Hyde Park Corner, London.

The Foundation will also announce details of the 4th Annual Sean Edwards Foundation Memorial Charity Bike Ride which will coincide with Monaco Grand Prix on May 23rd. .

The Sean Edwards Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on raising safety awareness in motorsport, the Sean Edwards Foundation was born out of tragedy. Sean Edwards was killed in Australia on October 15, 2013. He was coaching a rookie driver from the passenger seat when the car left the track and hit a concrete wall. Sean was just 26 years old. Several factors contributed to Sean’s death, but had better attention been paid to simple safety procedures he may still be racing today. His mother Daphne McKinley-Edwards established the Sean Edwards Foundation. The hope of the foundation is that his sacrifice will be a catalyst to improve safety conditions and awareness in all levels of motorsport.

Milestone Group PLC is an award winning media, technology and digital consultancy business listed on the London Stock Exchange with a unique company structure principally designed to build shareholder value and in doing so, leverage social value. The Company’s mission is to create shareholder value and generate positive social change The Company’s flagship initiative is The Passion Project, a project that brings together all parties involved in the welfare, education, support of young people to form a large-scale youth engagement and employment initiative. Its focus is aimed at matching young people’s interests and natural talents with vocational opportunities whilst providing them with social, emotional and educational support en route.

The Passion Project is partnered with Alchemy – a digital entertainment platform that uses the sale of digital entertainment from well known global brands, donations and crowd funding to raise the public’s awareness and much needed funds to support the social and charitable causes represented by its Passion Project partner network.

Both initiatives are operated by the Company’s Charity – the Milestone Foundation and are supported by a large number of organizations including charities, social enterprises, youth organizations, SMEs, Corporates and sporting bodies to name a few. One of the supporting charities is the Sean Edwards Foundation.

A recent example of success is the DIVERT programme, run by the Metropolitan Police Service and supported by the Passion Project. This initiative has been piloted in the London borough of Brixton and aims to divert young offenders from re-offending and into employment. It engages young people (aged between 18 and 25) when they are detained by the police, helps them to see that alternative options are available, and gives them the support and guidance they need to find sustainable employment. In its first year of operation DIVERT has engaged with 116 young adults, 38 of whom are now in training or employment. Divert has reduced re-offending by the young adults participating by more than 60%. Through Alchemy and its crowd-funding capability the Company and its supporters are looking to raise £250,000 to roll the initiative out across a further 4 London police stations making the service available for us to a further 500 young people during 2017.

This recent strategic partnership with the Sean Edwards Foundation and the motorsport industry not only brings in key influencers and funding to the Passion Project, providing exciting opportunities for apprenticeships in Formula E, Formula 1 and GT racing, Alchemy’s website went live this month http://www.alchemy-media.net/ SEF are in the process of talking with the developers to discuss how both parties can move together in the near future.

Deborah White, Milestone Group plc CEO and Milestone Foundation trustee, commented, “We are delighted to welcome the SEF team to the Passion Project – the collaboration between us will enhance the Passion Project’s industry reach and provide exciting opportunities for both the business and the young people we work with.”

As part of the agreement, Milestone will circulate SEF promotional materials to its members to raise awareness, eliciting support and funding as well as incorporating the SEF training model into the Passion Project network. Similarly, SEF will promote the Passion Project and its corporate membership programmes within motorsport and introduce potential commercial partners, sponsors and donors.

Daphne McKinley Edwards, Chairman and Founder of the Sean Edwards Foundation, said of the agreement, “I am delighted to have signed a co-operation agreement with Milestone in support of thePassion Project and its digital charitable platform, Alchemy. I am sure this will be an important strategic step in SEF’s future ad beyond. Our aim is to follow our track initiatives into road safety by rehabilitating young offenders from police stations via our joint mentorship programs with Milestone, in order to help place young people within the motorsports industry and track their progress. We aim to make a real difference in these young people’s lives. ”

SEF has signed an agreement with the FIA Formula E Championship to raise awareness and promote safety in motorsport and is also looking to introduce the Sean Edwards Foundation test (SET), which is a multi question test for professional drivers that is meant to access drivers understanding of the rules of the track- an SEF initiative developed by SEF with the SRO (Stephan Ratel organisation). SET is now mandatory with in the Blancpain GT Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup in Europe, the Blancpain Sports Club, Intercontinental GT Challenge, GT series Asia, Super Trophy, SPA 24 hours, GT Series America, Endurance Series Asia and next year The British GT, MSVRs BRDC British Formula 3 Championship, the GT Cup and Prototype Cup.

The FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series, competing on the streets against the backdrop of some of the most iconic cities – including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Monaco, Paris, New York and Montreal. The championship represents a vision for the future of the motor industry, serving as a platform to showcase the latest innovations in electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions. Future seasons will see the regulations open up further allowing manufacturers to focus on the development of motor and battery components, which in turn will filter down to everyday contemporary electric road vehicles.

The 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship sees 10 teams and 20 drivers go wheel-to- wheel in 10 cities spanning five continents in the fight to be crowned Formula E champion. The inaugural season of Formula E sparked into life in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing. The third season of the electric street racing series gets underway on October 9 in Hong Kong, with the season finale double-header in Montreal on July 29.

Daphne McKinley, Chairman and Founder of the Sean Edwards Foundation, said of the agreement; “The FIA Formula E Championship is in its infancy but I believe is where the future of racing lies, I am delighted that Formula e will host the first Sean Edwards PRO-AM closed circuit race that will continue to honour Sean and promote safety awareness through our educational programs.”

Sean’s friends who used to ride with him, including David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Eddie Jordan, Tiffany Cromwell and more, established The Sean Edwards Annual Memorial Bike Ride in 2014. This year in Monaco, on the 24th of May 2016, a staggering 31 riders from the world of F1, GT Racing, Pro-Cyling, Moto-GP and International Athletes took with their bikes the streets of the Monaco GP circuit in honour of Sean. Riders taking part were Daniel Riccardo, Jenson Button, Nico Hulkenburg, Paul di Resta, Brendon Hartley, Maro Engel, Eddie Jordan, Alex Wurz, Lucas Di Grassi, Francesco Castalacci, Ryan Harper-Ellam, Ray Bellm, Ian Khan, Eugene Laverty, Calvin Watson, Martin Poole, Carlo Botany, Gustav Larsson, Russell Carty, Patrick Churchill, Simon Gook, Miguel Pellerini, Chris Beckman  Harvey Johnson, Nigel Easton, Roberto Pestis, Mario Calisto, Jack Ravanelli, Juan Carlos Dominguez and Princess Charlene’s brother Gareth Wittstock. Their Bike Ride ended in Ventimiglia where they all gathered to Remember Sean and honour his memory by contributing their input in discussions about Motorsport Safety.