British Red Cross X Defender

Visitors to London’s South Bank this week will have the chance to sit inside what is believed to be Britain’s smallest museum built to celebrate 70 years of partnership between the British Red Cross and Defender by VCCP agencies Good Relations and Girl&Bear. 

The humanitarian charity - which supports people affected by crises of all kinds in the UK and around the world - is celebrating 70 years of delivering vital support and assistance using the Defender 4x4. The partnership has helped 2 million people in more than 50 countries, using more than 500 vehicles. 

To mark the occasion, Defender and the British Red Cross have commissioned a specially-converted Defender 110 plug-in electric hybrid to serve as a working museum, complete with artefacts, photos and audio guides. It brings to life the humanitarian work delivered from 1954 to the present day.

Up to five visitors can fit inside the free attraction, with many more outside - all finding out about the partnership with the British Red Cross which has impacted people across the world. 

The outside of the vehicle is adorned with dozens of pictures, offering a visual timeline of the partnership over the course of the 70 years, across multiple locations, conflicts and disasters. 

The idea for the museum came from integrated PR and social agency Good Relations who worked with creatives from sister companies VCCP and global content creation studio Girl&Bear to bring the idea to life.

The museum and tour covers key points in the history of the partnership. This includes one of the missions in 1954, when the Red Cross sent four nurses, each with a specially-adapted Defender ambulance that had been turned into a mobile clinic, to remote communities in Kenya.

Another exhibit explores the British Red Cross’s humanitarian work in Ethiopia between 1978 and 1980 during a famine caused by a devastating drought followed by a plague of locusts. A medical kit that played a crucial role in treating ill people features in the museum 

Also on display are drawings from children in the midst of the relief response in former Yugoslavia where, throughout 1993, the Red Cross provided aid and care for those seeking sanctuary on all sides of the conflict

Looking closer to home, the museum will also feature artefacts from a series of major floods in the UK between 2007 and 2013. Volunteers came from across the UK to assist in the largest domestic emergency relief effort since the Second World War. 

The museum also features an overview of relief efforts in the Turks and Caicos Islands after they were hit with the back-to-back disasters of Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike, which destroyed 85 percent of homes in 2008 and 2009. 

There is even a statue of a rescue dog from REDOG in Switzerland - a Defender-funded search and rescue project, which trains disaster search dogs and rapid deployment teams. A large team of 14 dogs and 22 REDOG members were deployed to help with search and rescue efforts in the 2023 Türkiye earthquake. The sculpture was kindly donated by renowned animal sculptor Tanya Russell. 

Open today for the first time at London’s South Bank Observation Point, the British Red Cross and Defender mobile museum will be in place for two days. 

Paul Amadi, Chief Supporter Officer at British Red Cross, said: “The enduring partnership between the British Red Cross and Defender has lasted a remarkable 70 years, and over that time has helped over two million people. We’re delighted today to launch our mobile museum to tell the story of the partnership and showcase the impact we have had over seven decades. We look forward to the future of our partnership and continuing to be there for communities in crisis.”

Mark Cameron, Managing Director at Defender, added: “Defender is a proud supporter of the British Red Cross and this year marks the 70th anniversary of working together for the good of remote communities across the world. Since the first model - a Series Land Rover - joined the Red Cross fleet in 1954, the capability of our vehicles has been used to deliver humanitarian aid in conflict and disaster zones around the world. The launch of the mobile museum showcases Defender’s capability in a very different way, and we hope it can raise awareness of the invaluable work made possible by our enduring and unique humanitarian partnership.”

Ben Winter, Executive Creative Director at Good Relations, said: “We thought it was important to celebrate this partnership which has provided support and help people in their hardest times. This museum really brings home how the British Red Cross and Defender have operated in conflict zones and disasters and the vital work they do for people in need.”