THIRTY colleagues from a Warrington housebuilder have completed a charity challenge, virtually rowing the full distance from Land’s End to Dover – the equivalent of the English Channel – to raise vital funds for two north west charities.
The team from David Wilson Homes North West, whose head office is at Birchwood Park, completed the ‘Miles that Matter’ challenge in seven hours and thirty-seven minutes and are well on their way to raising thousands for St. Rocco’s Hospice in Warrington and The Oasis Centre in Gorton, Manchester.
Six teams collectively rowed the 350 miles using rowing machines kindly loaned from CrossFit RnD in Timperley. Staff from across the business took part, each contributing their own mileage to reach the total distance.
The challenge was created to support two charities close to the business and its employees.
Claire Jarvis, Jo Shaw, Marie Egerton, Andrew Crowe
St. Rocco’s Hospice provides specialist care and support for people with life‑limiting illnesses and their families, while The Oasis Centre offers practical help, food support, education programmes and crisis assistance for people facing poverty, homelessness and social isolation.
Claire Jarvis, managing director at David Wilson Homes North West, said: “Miles That Matter was a brilliant way to bring our teams together while raising money for two organisations doing incredible work in our communities. Everyone pushed themselves to contribute their share of the distance, and we’re proud to support St. Rocco’s and The Oasis Centre with funds that will help them continue their essential services.”
Representatives from both charities attended the day to cheer the teams on and expressed their gratitude for the team’s efforts and the awareness raised through the challenge.
Marie Egerton, director of commercial development at St. Rocco’s, said: “I would like to thank David Wilson Homes colleagues for choosing St. Rocco’s Hospice as one of their charity partners. We are so lucky to have such wonderful support within our community.
“Having fundraising events like these really do make such a difference to our shared Warrington community when they need it most. Receiving an end-of-life diagnosis not only impacts the patient themselves, but their whole family and friends network. Having the funds to wrap our arms around them and take as much of that burden to provide excellent patient care and allow family members to be husbands, wives, daughters and sons again rather than carers is priceless. This can only be done via charitable funding. So well done to everyone who tirelessly went mile after mile to hit that target, you have made a world of impact to people when they need it most.”
Andrew Crowe, CEO at The Oasis Centre, said: “We are incredibly grateful to David Wilson Homes for organising this amazing challenge. Thank you to all who participated in and donated to this event on behalf of The Oasis Centre. The funds raised will provide much-needed practical support for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in East Manchester. It is hugely encouraging for Oasis, as a small grass roots charity, to have the practical backing of the commercial world and we are very grateful to David Wilson Homes for their support.”
The housebuilder is a committed supporter of charitable causes, making regular donations at a divisional level as well as through the Barratt Redrow Foundation – the charitable arm of Barratt Redrow plc, of which the David Wilson Homes brand is part. The Foundation exists to help communities across the UK thrive, with a particular focus on supporting children, young people, and those facing the greatest disadvantage.
To find out more about David Wilson’s developments in the North West visit: www.dwh.co.uk/new-homes/north-west/
