Another year, another charity challenge for the team at Foxley Kingham. Since 2018, the Foxley Kingham Anniversary Foundation has donated to local charities in the Luton area. Not as well-known perhaps as Comic Relief but just as important locally.
2022 proved to be a record-breaking year for the team. With the final amount just counted, we can reveal that we raised £13,000 for our charity partners.
Our focus last year was health and well-being, and particularly mental health. We plan to donate this year’s funds to selected three charities – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Room (CAMHS), the CHUMS Charity, and Mind BLMK.
Last year was also the first time since 2019 that the firm could deliver its annual fundraising activities with in-person events – we were all very relieved to make the return to face-to-face fundraising activities.
So, what did our brave bunch get up to?
The team chose activities that would attract fundraising but also meet any of their personal goals too. They combined the conventional with the more daring, and in one case, incredibly daring.
Back in 2018, Accounts and Audit Senior, Aimee Dimmock, achieved a 13,000-foot skydive. This year, she went one better. Continuing the aeronautical theme of years past, Aimee decided to mount a daredevil ‘wing walk’. Strapped to the pole in the center of an aircraft’s wingspan, she spent 12 minutes on an acrobatic flight at 120mph.
She quite rightly said, “I thought it was crazy enough to raise lots of money”. Her feat beat her fundraising target by raising £3,300.
The more conventional achievements saw the Foxley Kingham cycling team take on a longer ride than ever before with a 68.2-mile course Ride Essex route. They raised £2,800.
“We didn’t expect quite as many hills,” said Steve Sansom, Associate Director at Foxley Kingham. Although the ride was more challenging than they expected, they completed it in four hours – at an average speed of 15 mph and only two breaks – for repairs, refreshment, and moral support.
Among the other activities held, our colleagues also ran quizzes, dressed down at work, played bridge, and held raffles. Tara Aldwin, Director at Foxley Kingham and Trustee of the Anniversary Foundation said, “Last year we raised £10k for Level Trust, and now we’ve gone on to raise even more for our health and wellbeing charity partners. I’m so proud of the team and look forward to them topping this year’s amazing feats in the coming year. Watch this space!”
What’s Next?
The team, including stuntwoman Aimee and the cyclists, are already planning this year’s fundraising challenges. The theme for 2023 will focus on supporting charities that alleviate poverty in the area including helping those who are facing significant challenges due to the cost-of-living crisis. Our charity partner for the year ahead is Luton based, NOAH Enterprise – which seeks to help the most disadvantaged in the local community. Particularly, it is concerned with providing a practical, empowering and caring service to people who are homeless particularly those who are temporary or entrenched rough sleepers, and those who are marginalised and socially excluded, or have simply fallen into poverty.
Foxley Kingham established the Anniversary Foundation to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Foxley Kingham in 2018 and fundraise to help local causes in the Luton and Bedfordshire area. For more information on the foundation click here: https://www.fkca.co.uk/about-us/fk-in-the-community/
More information on our charity partners
The Foxley Kingham Anniversary Foundation charity partners for last year were:
- Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Charity’s Emergency Department Appeal, supporting Child and Adolescent Mental Health Room (CAMHS) – an organisation that offers help and support to children and young people (up to age 18) who have mental health difficulties and their families and carers. FKAF fundraising will support the creation of a designated room at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital in emergency department.
- CHUMS Charity, supporting local services delivered by Chums CIC – mental health and emotional well-being support for children, young people, and their families.
- Mind BLMK works to support positive mental health and well-being through well-being centers and local venues to make a difference in the health of people in the community.
