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The Million Makers Challenge
The Million Makers Challenge I n the final half of 2018, our 2017 graduate cohort took part in The Prince’s Trust Million Makers challenge. The challenge saw teams from many different businesses compete to raise as much money as possible in six months from £1,500 seed funding.
This year’s graduates raised a record-breaking amount of £84,386 for the charity. They achieved this through three main fundraising efforts, two or three of which you may well have been a part of! The team kicked off their fundraising with an abseil off Cattle Troughs in Swanage right at the start of the project. This raised an initial £3,000 for the group and got some money in the bank before they started on their main event.
Summit 60 saw more than 60 employees from around the business take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in September. The hikers were welcomed across the finish line by David Thomas, CEO and celebrated with a hog roast and glass of bubbly. The event was a hit with everyone and, including sponsorship, raised £52,330. The last part of the fundraising was a Christmas Raffle – ‘Golden Gifts’. This Barratt exclusive raffle was only made possible by generous donations from a number of people and businesses. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets, the team were able to raise £5,366 in their final fundraising push.
While the main aim of the project was to raise money, the group also took on a ‘legacy’ task. BuildAbility, a seminar in Bristol looking at disability in the construction industry, took place in late November. Attendees included planners, architects and BDW employees. By all accounts the seminar was a resounding success. Among the speakers was Katie, a Prince’s Trust ambassador. After having a hard start in life, moving from foster home to foster home, Katie flourished with the help of The Prince’s Trust and is now employed full time as a brick layer. Other speakers were Arran LintonSmith (Interserve), Diane Lightfoot (Business Disability Forum) and Richard Blyth (RTPI). Matt Carroll, team leader for the legacy team said: “The inaugural BuildAbility seminar surpassed all of our expectations and was a thoroughly enjoyable evening for all involved. Our speakers were excellent and each approached our central theme from a different perspective, which was great for the audience to understand.”
Thanks to Group match funding, a generous donation of £7,000 at the Group Conference and a few ad hoc divisional fundraisers, the team’s final total was £84,386. The 2017 Graduate cohort: “Thank you to all those who took part, donated, fundraised and supported us in our efforts. We are absolutely delighted to have raised the amount we have for The Prince’s Trust and hope it will help provide opportunities to disadvantaged young people in the UK.”
