FOUR Glasgow construction workers will take on the 96-mile West Highland Way in a bid to raise £20,000 for the city’s Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice as part of their employer’s 20th anniversary celebrations.
Steven McGurk, Brian Sutherland, Chris Devlin and Darren Burrows, all employees at City Building, will take on the iconic route – but with a twist. The team will complete the walk in reverse, starting in Fort William and finishing in Milngavie, tackling the most challenging sections first.
By reversing the route, the group hopes colleagues, friends and family will be able to join them for the final stages of the journey as they approach Glasgow.
The challenge forms part of City Building’s 20th anniversary programme, which will see employees across the organisation take part in a range of community initiatives throughout the year.
City Building chose to support Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice after discovering this was the first charity they supported when established in 2006.
Tam Glavin, chair, joint trade union committee who will be playing a support role on the trek at City Building, said, “We wanted to mark City Building turning 20 with something meaningful. When we spoke as a team, we realised we had all seen first-hand the incredible work carried out by Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, so it felt right to give something back.
“With more than 1,800 employees across City Building, we wanted to make sure as many colleagues as possible could get involved. By doing the route in reverse and finishing in Milngavie, it gives people the chance to join us towards the end and celebrate together.
“We’ve been training hard and have already completed a few stages of the route. It’s a tough challenge, but it’s for a fantastic local cause and if could hit our £20,000 target, it would make such a difference to our community.”
City Building was established in 2006 with the ethos of creating employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged groups in the Glasgow area. It runs one of Scotland’s largest apprenticeship programmes and operates its own training college.
City’s Building’s manufacturing division, RSBi, is Europe’s largest supported business and a leading UK social enterprise, employing more than 200 people — over half of whom have a disability.
Maureen Dowden, chair of City Building, added, “It’s a fantastic way for the joint trade unions committee to mark City Building’s 20th anniversary. Everyone from staff to board members at Wheatley and City Building (Glasgow) is fully behind their efforts as they take on this massive challenge over 96 miles.
“The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice provides outstanding, compassionate care to people and families when they need it most. By supporting this fundraiser, our colleagues are helping the hospice continue its vital work across the city.”
Donations can be made to the team’s just giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/citybuildingandjtuc?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
