84 of our people joined 1,000 others walking for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) at the second ever DofE Adventure in the Cotswolds last week.
Reflecting the ‘spirit’ of the DofE, the DofE Adventure consisted of a 30km hike on the Saturday and 20km hike on the Sunday, allowing our teams to experience what many of our apprentices taking part in their DofE Gold Award achieve on their DofE Expedition. Funds raised will give more young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the chance to start a DofE programme, building their confidence and resilience to navigate life’s challenges.
This was the largest ever number of Amey employees taking part in a single fundraising event eclipsing last year’s event when 37 Amey employees took part. To recognise this achievement each of our adventurers was given a unique #TeamAmey bandana which helped them stand out from the crowd and identify other Amey people who they may not met before.
Nicola Hindle Managing Director Consulting and Rail said “I am very proud of all our Adventurers, it was a very tough, hilly walk but they all pushed themselves and reached the finishing line. It was fantastic to have so many people involved and demonstrates that we are continually increasing our participation at events such as this. It was quite a sight to see so many yellow Amey bandanas being worn and these became a real talking point amongst other hikers.”
One of our adventurers Jason Grimes, Utilities Project Manager commented “The Adventure was a really enjoyable event and a great opportunity to meet people from across Amey as well as those from other companies. I was with six colleagues from the United Utilities Account based in Warrington and it gave us a perfect chance to team build outside of work. The adventure itself was pretty tough however the sense of achievement at the finish was fantastic.”
As well as our 84 Amey Adventurers our Gloucestershire Highways team, led by Paul Anderson, supported the event by providing materials, plant and equipment.
Paul Anderson said: “I am delighted that along with our supply chain partner HSS, we were able to support the DofE Adventure with materials, plant and vehicles. As one of our strategic charity partners the DofE has a special place in the hearts of many of our employees and with so many of them taking part in the event we were only too pleased to get involved and support this fantastic initiative.”
Jenni Anderson, Director of Fundraising at the DofE, said “Amey colleagues have been incredibly supportive of our aim to bring the DofE to many more young people. A huge thank you to the team of Adventurers who are pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones and raising funds for our charity. Their support extends beyond hiking 50km this weekend with the Amey Gloucestershire Highways team providing logistical support to enable our challenge to take place.”
The 15-year partnership developed between Amey and the DofE aims to give all young people, and especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds a fun - yet challenging - Award which helps them develop commitment, confidence, pride and tenacity – along with friendships and skills for work and life.