Fundraising fortnight secures £11,000 for Leyland charities

Staff at Leyland Trucks have raised £11,000 for local causes through their one-off Factory to Festival (F2F) Miles Better Together fundraising event.

The fortnight-long socially distanced fundraiser, organised by Leyland Trucks’ Helping Hand charity committee, saw employees, together with their families and friends, take on a series of walking, running and cycling challenges.

Staff members took to the streets of Lancashire to add as many miles as physically possible to the Miles Better Together total.

Having initially set themselves a target of 2,800 miles – the distance between Leyland Trucks and its main European operations in Eindhoven, Netherlands – the final total reached 9,400 miles covered.

Leyland Trucks prototype manager and Helping Hand committee member, Stuart Derbyshire, said: “The factory’s annual summer shut down presented us with the opportunity to push forward with our charitable agenda in a safe way.

“At a time when local causes need our help more than ever, I’m truly in awe at what we have achieved together with the incredible generosity of all our sponsors.

“Every single mile covered meant so much to all those involved and its events like this that demonstrate how through adversity and a global pandemic, local people are still determined to rally together for the benefit of those less fortunate.

“St Catherine’s Hospice will always have a special place in our hearts as their services touch the lives of so many local people, including many of the Leyland Trucks team, and we’re proud to have gone beyond lip service to help make a fundamental difference to them as well as The Ambulance Service Charity and other NHS front line charities.”

The unique set up featured a range of different challenges that included: a special running event held by Revolution Running Club; 100-mile triathlons; half and full marathons; a Leyland to Lytham cycling challenge; a special 24-hour walking challenge from Kendal to Preston; sprint sessions at CrossFit Leyland; and family walks and cycle rides.

Lead engineer, Ben Holloway’s, truck pull

Leyland Trucks lead engineer, Ben Holloway, display strength, stamina and determination by successfully pulling a 7.5 tonne DAF LF truck for a total of 1.3km.

Ben said: “Whilst not the longest of challenges, it was definitely the slowest and heaviest distance of the fortnight!

“Getting the truck to start moving was relatively easy but it’s as your heart rate spikes and the lactic acid in your legs kicks in where it truly becomes tough.

“The 1.3km total was a real achievement, especially when all the gyms have been closed and my normal training regime had come to an abrupt stop, so having my colleagues there to spur me on made all the difference.”

Nine-year-old James Woodhouse, whose father works at Leyland Trucks, also helped to raise £2,350 of the £11,000 total.

Awarded the title of Young Fundraiser of the Year 2019 for raising £950 for last year’s Leyland Trucks charity event, the boy from Clayton-le-Woods rallied his friends, family, schoolmates, parents and teachers to achieve this incredible contribution whilst also cycling the Preston Guild Wheel twice in two consecutive days.

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Emma Jacovelli, head of community engagement at St Catherine’s, said: “With this latest feat, Leyland Trucks has once again shown themselves to be wonderful supporters of the hospice.

“We’re so grateful to everyone who took part in this fantastic challenge, and to all those who so generously supported them with sponsorship. Special thanks must go to Ben and James for their incredible efforts – we’re so impressed with what they achieved

“Support from local businesses like Leyland Trucks has never been more important. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on many of the ways we rely on to raise funds – from the closure of our shops and cafe to the cancellation of our popular events.

“The proceeds from the F2F Miles Better Together campaign will really make a huge difference to St Catherine’s and the patients and families we care for at this difficult time.”

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