Ten Stories: Ten Years of Fundraising Activities

In the decade since Building Heroes began supporting the Armed Forces Community, we have experienced remarkable growth. Our charity has earned multiple awards, including the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise - Promoting Opportunity (now known as the King's Award). We have forged valuable partnerships and consistently increased our course applications each year. However, our achievements are only possible thanks to the generous support from the wider community through fundraising and volunteering. This month, we are celebrating the impact of fundraising over the years.

Previous Events

Golf Days

Over the years, we've had several companies host golf days for us! Ripon City Golf Club hosted their event on Friday 17th June 2022 and included challenges such as, Nearest the Pin and On-Course Longest Drive. We also received a generous donation from Colin Martin, Director of Medical Technology UK who organised a charity golf day at Frinton Golf Club.

In 2023 we hosted the Building Heroes Golf Tournament at Mitcham Golf Club and we were delighted to raise over £14,000 form our fantastic golf club swinging supporters!

Walk The Western Front

In 2023, one of our inspiring graduates, Jonathan Parrott, from the Reaseheath centre completed a fundraising walk for Building Heroes and Diabetes UK, which took place along the route of the 1914-18 Western Front. He took on the incredible journey with his sister-in-law, Isla Morrison, who is also a veteran.

Over 35 days, with only two days rest, they walked an incredible 652miles/1,050km and raised over £2,000 for each charity!

Building Heroes Skydive

In 2023, our Chief Executive at the time, Karen Jefford, and Centre Coordinator, Clare Guest completed a tandem skydive with Skydive Netheravon - Home of the Army Parachute Association. On the 24th of March, after a nerve racking 20-minute flight to altitude, both Karen and Clare skydived from 13,500ft, experiencing 60 seconds of free fall. Together, they raised an incredible £1,300 for Building Heroes, a proud moment for the whole team!

Gala Dinners

In September 2022 we partnered with London Irish Rugby to host our fundraiser gala dinner and in 2023 we hosted our own inaugural Building Heroes Gala Dinner during National Armed Forces week, to help bring together the military community and educational and industry personnel to raise funds and celebrate those who serve and those who have served. Held at the beautiful Grocers Hall in London on both occasions , we enjoyed a welcome reception, a three-course meal, a charity auction and welcomed several speakers including individuals from the graduate community and in 2023, the Minister of Veteran Affairs from His Majesty's Government. We finished both evenings with entertainment and networking and raised over £20,000 for the charity.

Upcoming Events

Iron Man Challenge

This month, Kat Wisniewski, one of our key training partners from our Ibstock Academy, is rising to an incredible challenge - she is taking on the Lanzarote Ironman Challenge, which includes a 3.8km sea swim, followed by a 112-mile bike course around the island, and topped off with a 26.2-mile run. We have kept in contact with Kat to find out about her training programme and she has been doing so well preparing for the big day.

Kat said: "I have decided to raise funds for a fabulous educational charity that I work closely with in my day job. The work that they do is incredible and I am heart warmed by every individual that is helped after leaving the forces."

You can donate to support Kat here - https://app.goodhub.com/building-heroes-education-foundation-10662.

Grab Your Club and Tee's For More Golf Fundraising Events

Coming up on Friday 20th September is our annual golf day, taking place at Mitcham Golf Club. We are starting the day right with a scrumptious breakfast before the competition kicks in. The day will include Nearest the Pin, On-Course Swing Analysis, and many other fun events.

All proceeds from the event will go directly to the Building Heroes Education Foundation, empowering our armed forces community to finding careers in construction.

Celebrate Ten-Years With Building Heroes

To mark our ten-year anniversary, we are hosting our 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner to celebrate with our armed forces community, supporters, partners and colleagues. Hosted in the majestic surroundings of Drapers Hall, there will be a welcome reception, gourmet dining, charity auction, inspiring stories and light entertainment.

Taking place on Wednesday 23rd October, all proceeds from the event will go towards Building Heroes Education Foundation as we support military personnel to transition from service to civilian careers, and the work we do to help individuals reskill and find pathways to employment in the construction and infrastructure industry.

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