SUVA, a Channel pilot boat, has been transformed thanks to the support of paint brand, International. 12 litres of a custom made Toplac shade have been created to transform SUVA from International Toplac Oxford Blue, to a bespoke Toplac ‘Lady Penelope Pink’.

Owned and run by pilot Neil Streeter, SUVA escorts solo swimmers and relay teams across the Channel. From June to October, she transports dozens of dream chasing swimmers from Dover to France, tackling the 21.5 mile stretch of water, which is the busiest shipping lane in the world.

Earlier this year and ahead of her annual maintenance check, Neil set a challenge for Team SUVA – if they could raise £30,000 for charity, he would paint the entire hull of SUVA in pink, a colour he particularly dislikes. And not just any pink, Neil instructed, “Think Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds!”

Team SUVA rose to the challenge and set up various schemes to raise funds, along with a Virgin Money Giving page. To date, the team has raised over £13,000. When a private donation of £1,000 was received, Neil decided to go ahead and paint SUVA pink before the full amount was achieved. Funds will be shared between two charities close to Neil’s heart – Cancer Research UK and Macmillan.

International received a cry for help from Team SUVA, and was more than happy to get on board and support such a unique and challenging request. As pink is not an existing colour in the Toplac range, International’s team of experts set to work on formulating a personalised shade especially for SUVA, providing various samples before agreeing on the perfect ‘Lady Penelope Pink’.

Cliff Golding, at Team SUVA, said: “We are extremely grateful and proud to have International’s support for the transformation of SUVA. It has been a real privilege to have such a bespoke shade of paint formulated especially for us – her new coat of Lady Penelope Pink Toplac paint has brought a new life to the team, and will really help us to stand out from the other Channel swimming pilot boats this year!”

Stuart Melville, Global Marketing Support Specialist at AkzoNobel SMU Specialty Coatings, added: “We are delighted to support the transformation of SUVA to her very unique shade of Toplac paint. Although we are not planning to add Lady Penelope Pink to the existing Toplac range, it is great to see the creation of this eye-catching shade and be able to support Team SUVA’s charitable campaign.

“Toplac is fast-drying and maintenance is minimal, so Team SUVA will be able to spend more time on the water and spend less money and time on upkeep. With a rich lustrous colour that stays glossy over time, Toplac is the boaters’ trusted solution when they want a quality finish and a lasting impression that any boat owner can be proud of. I’ve no doubt we’ve achieved that for SUVA with Lady Penelope Pink, and I hope the new colour brings the team lots of luck during this year’s competitions.”

To find out more about SUVA’s fundraising challenge, please visit:http://m.virginmoneygiving.com/mt/uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=JulianCritchlow

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