From the inception of the Hillclimb we have donated almost R900,000 to local charities.
Charities who have benefitted from the event include Knysna Animal Welfare, the MG Car Club South Cape (who in turn pass the funds on to a selected charity), the Sedgefield and George Lions Clubs, Knysna Hospice and the Knysna Sport Academy.
Greenpop
In July 2018 we participated in a planting day during the Regreen the Garden Route Festival of Action with Greenpop. With so much of Knysna destroyed during the fires of June 2017, we raised funds via our competitor entries, website and social media. The funds went towards the purchase of trees that were planted during the Festival of Action. Read more about the project here. We supported Greenpop again in 2019.
This campaign was recognised by Motorsport South Africa who awarded the event its 2018 Environmental Award.
Sparking Minds
We also support the local Knysna community by donating excess goods to those in need them such as the Born2Care creche and the Knysna Sport Academy.
F1 in Schools
We partnered with F1 in Schools in 2023 to highlight the need for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in schools. F1 in Schools is an extra-curriculum programme for pupils aged 6 to 19 who compete in teams of 3 or 6 to design, make and race a car using CAD software, custom model blocks and components. Sponsors fund teams. Selected participants have achieved their dreams and worked in F1 teams, including Red Bull, Mercedes, Williams and Aston Martin.
Future Ones NPC’s quest is to enable this journey for aspiring STEM talent in Africa. The next success story could come from South Africa. Simola Hillclimb supports this “Pupil-to-Pinnacle” vision.