Businessmen reach new heights to fund minibus for Midlands charity

Published by kerri smith for Reach the People Charity in Housing and also in Communities

An intrepid team of business professionals raised more than £5,000 to help fund a new minibus for a Midlands charity which supports vulnerable people across the region.

Trident Reach the People Charity was delighted to receive the donation after a team put together by staff at Edward Symmons Property Consultants completed the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge.

The charity, which provides housing, care and services for vulnerable people, bought the minibus to support its services in Shropshire, where it supports people with mental health and learning disabilities within its care homes and individuals’ own homes. The bus will mean services can be taken out to rural areas and will also be used as an ‘info bus’ to advertise important information such as telephone numbers for helplines.

The team of eight completed the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge – which saw the group scale the heights of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon - on May 19th.

Andrew Vaughan of Edward Symmons Property Consultants, who is also a trustee of Trident Reach, headed up the mountaineering party, along with three of his colleagues at the Birmingham office – Peter Loveday, Richard Durkin and James Acton. They were joined by Ian Bramley from asset-based lenders Burdale, Julian Doyle from HSBC and Tony Lozano, Majid Salim and Matt Hardy from Poppleton & Appleby.

Team member Peter Loveday said: “Most of us managed to complete the challenge in the allotted time so we were really pleased with ourselves. There were a few injuries, mainly knees, backs and cramp, but we all struggled through!

“We’re absolutely thrilled with the amount we raised. Initially we thought we might raise around £2,000 but we absolutely smashed that thanks to some really generous donations so we were delighted to raise £5,000 for Trident Reach.

“The challenge was really tough with sleep deprivation and obviously it was physically exhausting, but well worth it.”

Bernadette Keogh, Head of Shropshire Services at Trident Reach, said that the minibus cost £6,250 so the money raised in the Three Peaks challenge paid for the bulk of that and freed up other funds to keep it running for a year

She said: “After much fundraising we have successfully purchased a minibus which is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. But it’s not just buying the bus, it needs tax and an MOT and petrol to keep it running which all add to the cost, so we’re really grateful to the Three Peaks team for their generous donation. It really has given us a massive boost in getting the bus on the road.

“The minibus will be used across the county, raising awareness of our charity and the wonderful work we do. It will also be used as an 'Info Bus' to ensure that people both in urban and rural areas have an awareness of services operating and available in the region both in and outside of Trident Reach. The Three Peaks Challenge has kindly donated their support, by doing so, the money they have raised will keep this 'Info Bus' on the road for over a year.”

If you would like to raise money for Trident Reach the People Charity or support its work in other ways, please call 0121 226 5800.