Benchmark Sport Holdings

SportsAid is the charity for sports people, helping the next generation of young British sportsmen and women to succeed. The charity offers help at the very start of a young talented athlete's journey, when, more often than not, parents are the solitary sponsor. At that stage, independent recognition and financial assistance makes a huge difference. As the Official Charity to the Sport Industry Awards, we have been delighted to support SportsAid for the past couple of years, both contributing a substantial amount of money in support of six highly talented young Olympic hopefuls and also helping raise the profile of the fantastic work done by the charity in front of all the major brands and decision makes in UK sport.

The Greenhouse Schools Project uses the power of sport to teach vulnerable and disadvantaged 11-16 year olds life and social skills. The charity aim to transform the lives of young people by engaging them in sports and arts activities, targeting those who may not otherwise have access to these opportunities, regularly working with thousands of young people on a daily basis. In the first of an annual charity sporting challenge organised by the Sport Industry Group, 20 teams of hardened walkers set off in mid-July to complete the HSBC Private Bank Sport Industry Group 3 Peaks Rally 2007 in aid of Greenhouse Schools Project – a challenge that incorporated climbing the three highest peaks in Scotland (Ben Nevis), England (Scafell Pike) and Wales (Snowdon) back-to-back in a 24 hour period. In 2008, the Sport Industry Group will once again head for the hills in aid of Greenhouse Schools Project, but this time following the footsteps of Hannibal and his band of 40 elephants as they crossed the Alps for their attack on Rome for the HSBC Private Bank Sport Industry Hannibal Marathon.