A GROUP of Reading Buses employees, along with their friends and family, has smashed its fundraising goal in aid of Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs.
Members of the charity joined them on five walking routes which were picked as part of Reading Buses’ 125 year celebrations with the numbers adding up to 125 – Sky Blue 15, Purple 17, White Knight 20, Berry 23 and Greenwave 50.
All the walks followed the bus routes as closely as possible.
The walks were the brainchild of Sharmila Perera, Finance Business Partner; she was keen to mark the company’s 125th year with an activity that could support the charity.
Sharmila set a challenging target that also reflected the 125 years of the company, with the group aiming to raise £1250.
A Just Giving page was set up, and before the walk they had already raised around £600. Once the teams got underway, shaking buckets and collecting donations en route, also helped by some social media support.
The total of funds raised currently stands at £1620 at time of writing.
The walks started from Reading Station at 9.30am with each group seen off by the company’s Chief Executive Officer and led by a team captain, whose job it was to ensure the walkers were on the correct path and to keep morale high.
They followed their chosen bus route as closely as possible to the end.
The routes ranged from two to six miles and each group had representatives from the charity – including the hard-working dogs.
To help identify the walkers, they were wearing gold t-shirts with a 125 year logo on them, reminding everyone of Reading Buses local ownership and big birthday.
There were also inflatable dogs for each group to represent the charity and a purple dinosaur that roamed the Purple 17 route to bring more attention to the walkers.
Reading Buses’ Sharmila Perera said: “We are extremely grateful to all the volunteers who walked or helped out before, during or after the event– we are extremely grateful to everyone who donated to this amazing cause.
“Everyone had so much fun and we were so humbled by the generosity of people who saw us on the walk.”
Peter Duke, from Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs said: “Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs were delighted to be selected as Reading Buses charity for 2026 and it was great to have the opportunity to take part in the sponsored walk alongside Reading Buses staff, friends and family.
“We all had a great time walking with lots of interesting people and meeting plenty of Reading residents.
“The search dogs did well receiving lots of fuss and attention.
“The Reading Buses/Berkshire Search and Rescue Dogs partnership is proving to be a most effective and enjoyable relationship.”
More details about the fundraiser, including how to donate, are avilable via: justgiving.com/page/reading-buses-125-years
