I’ve always greatly admired the time and effort that my colleagues and the property owners across Audley villages put into fundraising and organising amazing events for charity. Over the years, we’ve raised vast amounts of money for incredible causes. This year we had an added incentive, the launch of The Audley Foundation. The Foundation is a charity formed to support older communities around the UK, and to get things up and running, the challenges have gone up yet another gear - literally!
As I write now in June, we’ve already reached an incredible £13,895 for the Foundation in 2022.
Our team fundraising efforts this year all began with the Blenheim Palace 7k which over 100 of my Audley colleagues ran with me. It was an excellent day with camaraderie, fancy dress and fun. Following this, John Nettleton, our Group Land Director, undertook his herculean Tour d’Audley. This involved 8 days of cycling, 538 miles and 29,846 ft of climbing - higher than Everest! He visited all our Audley villages starting at Clevedon in Ilkley and ending in Mote House in Kent. John ended up raising over £10 per mile cycled which was an incredible effort as he battled through wind, rain and finally got the sun cream out when the sun shone.
While my 45-mile effort pales into insignificance besides John’s 530mile tour, I also really enjoyed playing my own part in the fundraising where I took part in a ‘triathlon’. I did the 7k run at Blenheim, joined one stage (45 miles) of John’s Tour d’Audley and also jumped in a pool for a 1,000m swim. Our small group somehow managed to get four punctures on the cycle making it a little more dramatic than I’d hoped – four in a day felt very excessive but we made it!
We’re all taking part in these events because we strongly believe the charities supported through The Audley Foundation play an important role in creating a lasting difference to the lives of older people. In 2022, the Foundation has so far supported the Care Workers’ Charity (CWC), an incredibly worthy cause as it supports those who care for the elderly.
The Foundation is also raising money to support ‘chatty’ benches which will be sited in towns close to our villages. These benches will aim to become a hub of the community, and a chance for anyone feeling the need for companionship to sit and speak to someone else who lives in the local area.
All the organisations that the Foundation works with, and all the initiatives, will focus on enhancing the lives of older people.
I’m sure we’ll have many more updates to come on our fundraising for The Audley Foundation. In the meantime, I better get thinking about my next challenge!
