Colleagues prepare for 15 mile charity challenge

More than 20 colleagues at a leading decorating and DIY specialist are preparing to trek 15 miles to raise money for London’s child poverty charity.

The team from Leyland SDM will walk from Mile End to Kingston upon Thames on November 19 to support The Childhood Trust.

The intrepid group is made up of colleagues from right across the Leyland SDM business, including sales assistants and head office staff.

They will pass through Westminster, Chelsea and Fulham before crossing The Thames at Putney Bridge and progressing through Richmond Park, finishing at Leyland SDM’s most southern store in Kingston. Donations can be made at https://childhoodtrust.enthuse.com/pf/leylandsdm

Cliff Rendell, People Director at Leyland SDM, said: “Charity and fundraising is a key part of our ethos and we’re proud to have raised more than £120,000 for good causes over the last four years.

“We really admire The Childhood Trust and wanted to support them, particularly as their valuable work takes place in London, which is where all 33 of our stores are located.

“It’s a long way to walk but we’re all up for the challenge and looking forward to it. It’ll be a new way for us to see the capital while raising vital funds, and we look forward to visiting a number of our stores along the way.”

The Childhood Trust is London’s leading child poverty charity. London is one of the richest cities in the world but the charity says 700,000 children in London live in poverty, the majority of whom are from working families.

Laurence Guinness, Chief Executive of The Childhood Trust, said: “Poverty can have devastating effects on children’s health and development.

“Our most recent research found that the equivalent of 40% of London children are regularly missing meals and going hungry due to the cost-of-living crisis.

“With growing numbers of children falling into poverty we must do all we can to provide support. A huge thanks to the team at Leyland SDM for getting involved by fundraising through this walking challenge across the capital. We’ll be following their progress every step of the way.”

Leyland SDM’s stores stock a comprehensive range of thousands of products across all departments, including paint and decorating essentials, building materials, electrical fittings, tools, plumbing equipment, ironmongery and much more, all under one roof.

Some of the biggest and best-known DIY brands are available at Leyland SDM, including Farrow & Ball, Tesa, Bahco, Bosch, Purdy, Dulux Trade, Leyland Trade, Stanley, Ronseal and DEWALT. Visit www.leylandsdm.co.uk for more information.