Colleagues raise £15,000 for armed forces charity

Employees from the Stafford-based region of Vistry Group, Britain’s biggest housebuilder, have raised more than £15,000 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Vistry Group’s Ben Graham during his six-day trek through Vietnam in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Staff members from the company’s North Central Midlands region took part in a variety of fundraising activities throughout the year, including golf days, a raffle, a football and netball tournament, and a six-day trek through Vietnam.

SSAFA, which is Vistry’s national charity of the year for 2024, offers a range of physical and emotional support to serving personnel, veterans and their families.

As part of the company’s national fundraising effort, Vistry North Central Midlands organised two charity golf days for its staff, suppliers and contractors. An 18-hole event at the Shropshire Golf Centre in Telford in May raised £6,700.

Steve Twaites from Coventry Timber tees off, watched by (from left to right) Gareth Buckley and Adam Daniels from Vistry and Steve Mount from Coles, at the charity golf day held at the Shropshire Golf Centre in Telford.

Staff from the region took part in a charity netball and football tournament against colleagues from Vistry’s North West Midlands region in Stafford in September which raised £900, while a raffle raised £500.

Two Vistry North Central Midlands staff members have also taken on their own personal challenges to help boost the region’s fundraising efforts.

Design and planning manager Ben Graham raised £800 after completing a 110km trek across the North Vietnamese jungle in October, while sales consultant Julia Lewis has so far secured £910 in sponsorship for a wing walk she will be undertaking next year.

Ben, 43, was among eight Vistry employees to embark on the six-day trek through Vietnam, as part of a wider contingent of 31 fundraisers accompanied by three guides and a doctor.

The route, which took in paddy fields, mountains and waterfalls, was originally planned to be 93km but had to be extended to 110km because of landslides caused by a typhoon that hit the country a few weeks before.

Ben said: “It was an extremely tough challenge in over 30-degree heat and 89 per cent humidity. My feet are full of blisters and my legs don’t feel like they belong to me, but it was all worth it for such an incredible charity.”

Carina Wilde, sales and marketing director for Vistry North Central Midlands, said: “SSAFA does such incredibly important work to support armed forces personnel, veterans and their families through the various challenges they face both during and after active service.

“It’s been a real pleasure to raise money for such a worthy cause and I’m extremely proud of everyone who has contributed to our fundraising efforts throughout the year.”

To find out more about SSAFA, visit ssafa.org.uk.

Vistry North Central Midlands is building homes across Staffordshire, Shropshire, Cheshire and Nottinghamshire under the Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside Homes brands.

For more information, visit lindenhomes.co.uk, bovishomes.co.uk and countrysidehomes.com.