On Monday 20 May, Nottingham’s leading taxi firm, DG Cars, hosted a ‘Rosie May Day’ in honour of local charity partner, the Rosie May Foundation.
The Foundation was created in 2004 by Graham and Mary Storrie following the tragic death of their daughter, Rosie May. Since then, its team has been encouraging the public and local business partners to host events throughout the months of May and June to mark what would have been their daughter’s 31st birthday.
Founded to provide families with positive future prospects so that children can grow up within safe communities, The Rosie May Foundation is headquartered in Nottingham, with facilities in both Sri Lanka and Nepal, all used to support families in crisis around the globe through education and empowerment schemes.
One such scheme is the ‘Think Pink’ initiative; created with the aim of making taxi and private hire vehicle driving an accessible and attractive career choice for females.
Since partnering with DG Cars in 2022, to encourage more women into the workforce, through its comprehensive training programmes, the taxi firm has enlisted more than 50 female drivers across its East Midlands network.
In celebration of its Think Pink drivers and the Foundation’s continued work, DG Cars hosted the Rosie May Day event – held at its central Nottingham headquarters – which saw over 50 guests attend, including Think Pink Nottingham drivers and Councillor Audrey Dinnall, Chair of licensing, regulatory and appeals for Nottingham City Council.
Attendees at the event were surrounded by the Foundation’s pink tuk tuks and the iconic tuk box van, which served hot drinks and sweet treats to guests. The iconic tuk tuks were one of the first vehicles to be used in the Think Pink initiative when the Foundation began its work in Southeast Asia, and it has now become synonymous with the charity.
Commenting on the event, James Knox, integrator at DG Cars, said:
“Ever since joining forces with the Rosie May Foundation and Think Pink in 2022, we have seen first- hand the incredible work they do to help rebuild families and children’s lives in local and global communities.
“This is our second Rosie May Day Event, having held our first one back in 2023. This year, we once again wanted to show our support for the Foundation at such an important time - especially as an integral charity partner of ours, and an extension of the wider DG Cars family. Our team of Think Pink drivers are imperative to the success of our operation, so it felt like the perfect opportunity to thank them for their hard work, while also honouring Rosie May and the Storrie family.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Rosie May Foundation and Think Pink, in order to raise awareness of the Foundation, its commitment to help diverse communities and its work to encourage more women to pursue a professional, successful and supported driving career.”
Councillor Audrey Dinnall, added:
“It was an honour to attend the Rosie May Day, hosted by DG Cars. Seeing how the Storrie family has used this tragic event to make a positive impact on the community is admirable and it was humbling to hear about their successes, despite their tragedy, over the past two decades.
“I’d like to thank DG Cars for hosting the occasion, and Think Pink and the Rosie May Foundation for everything they do. I hope they continue to inspire and unite communities, encouraging more women to pursue their career as taxi drivers, and I look forward to seeing more Think Pink drivers take to the roads in the future."
Mary Storrie, founder of the Rosie May Foundation, also commented:
“We decided to launch the Rosie May Day events as an opportunity to honour our late daughter as she would have turned 31 this month. We want everyone to celebrate her legacy in any way they can, whether that be by hosting a coffee afternoon or simply wearing pink to show support of the Foundation.
“On behalf of myself and the family, I’d like to say a huge thank you to DG Cars for hosting its own Rosie May Day, and for its continued support alongside the Think Pink drivers of Nottingham. Without taxi firms like DG Cars, we wouldn’t have such a successful initiative where we can continue to inspire girls and women to be safe, but also feel empowered in a career that they might not have thought about.”
For more information about the Rosie May Foundation, click here, and for more information about DG Cars and its partnership with Think Pink visit https://dgcars.co.uk/.