STAFF at a Reading construction recruitment firm have 50,000 reasons to raise funds for the Sue Ryder hospice.
ITS Building People celebrates its golden jubilee this year and staff decided to raise money for the charity Sue Ryder and their Duchess of Kent Hospice which cared for the fathers of two of the group directors, Paul Knight and Graham Coker.
So far they have raised over £29,000 by running in the London marathon, the Reading half-marathon, the national peak challenge and even walking around the Isle of Wight.
Jerry Knight, who manages the head office on Reading’s Kings Road, said other fundraising activities have included skydiving, football tournaments and car boot sales.
“We wanted to raise £50,000 in our jubilee year for a cause close to home.
“This has been particularly important for me with my grand-father, Barrie Knight receiving palliative care. We have nineteen offices around the country and they all came up with different ideas to raise money.
“The Sue Ryder team was excellent in supporting my grandad and our family. The charity does an incredible job helping people and their loved ones in times that matter the most and I am thankful to have the opportunity to give back in any small part that I can.”
Jerry said staff were on target to hit the £50,000 target by the end of the year: “Everyone has been awesome in tackling some pretty difficult tasks. I completed the London marathon and the Reading half but other people have gone on a marathon walk, cycled around the Isle of Wight, climbed the National and Welsh Three Peaks and many more.
“There has been a lot of organisation and a lot of sore feet but staff have really risen to the challenge, been inventive and raised funds for such a worthy cause.
“In addition to the events throughout the year, staff across the group are also offering to labour on site for our clients, with the money going straight to Sue Ryder,” he added.
“It will be a change for us office types and I’m sure our clients will enjoy putting us through our paces and seeing us get our hands dirty.”
