Staff from housebuilding firm Vistry South West have taken part in a unique event to raise awareness around the issue of suicide among young people.
Staff from the company, based in Exeter, were involved in the South West leg of this national event, which saw a commemorative book carried 1,163 miles across the country without the assistance of any motorised transport.
The Vistry Voyage has been organised by the housebuilder and involves hundreds of its staff in a show of support for its group charity Papyrus – which works to help prevent suicide in the younger generation.
Paul Moran, regional managing director of Vistry South West, said: “Papyrus is a charity which is very close to all of our hearts, and we have been supporting the organisation in a number of ways throughout the year.
“The Vistry Voyage is one of the biggest charity awareness events we have organised to date and we are proud that so many people from the business gave their time to play their part.
“People ran, cycled, walked and even kayaked – the whole concept of the voyage is remarkable and I want to send a big thank you out to everyone who got involved.”
Paul added: “The issue of suicide is one that is important to all of us as a business, particularly as it affects so many of the people who work in our industry.
“We sadly lost a colleague to suicide. Brandon Ball was a trainee quantity surveyor who died in December 2020, so it’s a charity that means a great deal to us and it was lovely to see his parents – Lorraine and Nigel – at our finish line. Everyone pulled together and it was an emotional event.
“We’d like to thank Phil Deare Carpentry and Joinery for kindly providing support vehicles and The Creaky Crank, mobile cycle workshop for also being on hand.”
The South West team comprised: Paul Moran, Gareth Neale, Ruth Babbage, Marcus Ford, Paul Grayston, James MacMartin, Steve Harrison, Julian Harper, Simon Davies, Grace Holton, Tom Barnett, Andy Robson and Richard Babbage. The squad cycled 58 miles from Vistry’s Exeter office to Liskeard, which involved a 6,700ft climb over Dartmoor. A separate team from the office also took part by walking ten miles.
Vistry South West, which builds Bovis and Linden properties, is one of 23 business units across the country stretching from the North East of England to Devon and Cornwall.
Staff from each business unit took charge of the book for their own section of the journey. Everyone who took part in the mammoth trek personally signed the book and money was also raised through sponsorship throughout the six-week-long journey.
For updates on the Vistry Voyage, visit www.vistrygroup.co.uk and follow the housebuilder on social media.
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