The donation follows an accident that left the cadet unit without their essential vehicle, putting many of their planned activities at risk.
In response, Cygnet offered one of its well-maintained minibuses that had recently completed it service at Cygnet Hospital Bierley, a 62-bed mental health hospital in Bradford, helping ensure the cadets can continue to attend events, camps and training sessions across the region.
The minibus was taken to the Mansfield ACF base on Thursday 22 May after being stored at Cygnet Manor, a 20-bed high dependency complex care service for men in Shirebrook, ready for the handover.
Ricky Holland, Regional Operations Director at Cygnet Group, said: “After hearing about the Nottinghamshire Army Cadets Force’s struggle to get a new van, we wanted to donate one of our minibuses as it was the end of its Cygnet cycle.
“We know that our minibuses are well-serviced and maintained extremely well so now the minibus can help someone else. There is a lot of financial pressures on all charitable organisations at the moment and we wanted to help in any way we could.
“Here at Cygnet Health Care, we are supportive of all clubs and societies within our local areas. We aim to support young people and their communities, especially as a lot of our staff have family members or friends or even volunteer within these organisations.”
Steven Lamb, the Detachment Commander at Retford Army Cadet, part of Nottinghamshire ACF, explained the importance of the minibus for the organisation.
He said: “The Army Cadets Force strives to prepare our youth for success that lasts a lifetime. Unfortunately, our unit minibus was involved in an accident which jeopardised our plans for the cadets this year and next year.
“Luckily, Cygnet Health Care were kind enough to donate a minibus to us so we can carry on delivering the best cadet experience possible. Without the minibus, we would struggle ferrying our cadets to and from camps, events, parades and competitions as well as carrying our extensive equipment across the country.
“For years, our organisation has thrived due to the generosity of people so we are really thankful for this donation.”