Staff at Chelmsford-based housebuilder Vistry Eastern have raised more than £4,000 for a national charity in a series of fundraising challenges over a year.
The £4,019 the employees raised went towards Vistry Group’s national fundraising campaign for Papyrus – the company’s chosen charity for 2022 – which is dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional well-being in young people.
Jason Colmer, sales and marketing director for Vistry Eastern, rolled his sleeves up and raised £960 by spending a day working as a cleaner at the company’s Saffron View location in Saffron Walden.
Other notable efforts were made by Emma Keys, sales consultant at Vistry’s Meridian Gate development in Royston, who raised £1,145 by completing the 52km Isle of Wight 1st Half Challenge event. Vistry employees Paul Myall, his daughter Kate, John Johnson and Karen Day collected together £1,395 by tackling the popular London Nightrider course in June.
The money raised is to be used to help Papyrus staff its helpline HOPELINEUK, which provides confidential support and advice to young people struggling with mental health issues.
Jason Colmer, sales and marketing director for Vistry Eastern, said: “It has been a pleasure and an honour to be able to raise money throughout 2022 to help support the amazing work that Papyrus does. It is wonderful to hear that the money we raised is going to support the vital helpline that the charity operates to reach out to vulnerable young people and their carers.
“Suicide is the biggest killer of people aged 35 and under in the UK and Papyrus is an incredible charity which is working tirelessly to try to prevent these needless deaths. It was great to see so many of my colleagues at Vistry Eastern embrace the challenge and help raise thousands of pounds for this deserving cause.”
Staff from Vistry Eastern also raised money by participating in the national challenge Vistry Voyage which saw employees across the divisions carrying a commemorative book of awareness 1,163 miles from the North East of England to Cornwall while travelling by various forms of human-powered transport.
Other fundraising events held by the division included a Zumba session, a ‘dress down’ Friday and a ‘Devil Wears Pride’ Day, when Vistry staff wore pride flag colours.
The money raised by Vistry Eastern went towards the £257,862 total amassed by all Vistry Group divisions for Papyrus.
Earl Sibley, Vistry’s Chief Operating Officer, handed over a cheque for the total amount raised to Papyrus representatives.
The charity said that the amount raised by Vistry, which was £100,000 more than the target set, made it the most successful corporate partnership to date for Papyrus.
Amanda Scott Barbera, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Papyrus, said: “The whole of Vistry Group and all their business units have been a delight to work with. Because the staff voted the charity in, everyone has been keen to get involved and the Group have been extremely generous.”
To find out more about Papyrus visit https://www.papyrus-uk.org.
Vistry Eastern is building new homes across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire under the Linden Homes brands.
References to “we”, “us” or “our” are to the part of the Vistry Group (including Linden Homes, Bovis Homes, Countryside Homes, Drew Smith or one of Vistry’s joint venture companies) from which you are intending to purchase a new home. References to "you” and “your” are to the prospective buyer or buyers of a new home from us.
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