A mid-year update from TQtogether - TrustQuay’s charity fundraising initiative

The TQtogether initiative has raised over £20,000 for charities around the globe since forming in March 2021.  Suzanne Pritchard, one of the committee members, explains some of the activities that have taken place over the last six months. 

TQtogether is all about ‘giving a TrustQuay Hand’ to the communities in which we operate around the globe, and over the last six months we have focused on: 

1. Our annual walk/cycle/run fundraising event 
2. Local primary school sponsorship
3. Volunteer days
4. Work experience week 

Our annual walk/cycle/run fundraising event 

Following on from the success of the 60 miles in 60 days challenge in 2021 in aid of the British Heart Foundation, this year the TQtogether committee organised a similar fundraising challenge titled the House-to-House challenge in aid of Ronald McDonald House Charities, an international organisation close to the hearts of many TrustQuay employees. 

The challenge started on 01 April 2022 with staff aiming to walk, cycle or run a combined total of 14,665 miles in 62 days, equivalent to the distance between TrustQuay‘s office in Sydney, Australia and a Ronald McDonald House based in Ottawa close to our Canadian TrustQuay employees. 

Last year, the challenge was done in reverse and we didn’t quite make it, getting within touching distance of the Australian coastline. However, this year I am pleased to announce that we completed the distance and actually walked, ran and cycled 15,501.42 miles.  A massive achievement from the TrustQuay team! 

Most importantly, £3,084 was raised for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK through donations, a cakes sale and a quiz.  This brings TQtogether’s grand total to £20,808 since we started back in March 2021. 

Winners of each category  

Cycling: Jeremy Williams - 2,336.85 miles 

Exercise Bike: Suzanne Pritchard - 301.41 miles 

Running: Henry - 475.60 miles 

Walking: Lynn Henningsen - 501.56 miles 

Special shout outs should go to: 

• Doug Murray: for being the overall winner, completing a phenomenal 2,442.14 miles 
• Adrian Akers: who completed 849.67 miles overall the highest achieving member of the senior management team 
• And Simon Witkiss for winning first place in our Bake Sale with his sausage rolls and chutney! 

Local Lego League support 

As a technology company, inspiring the next generation with careers in STEM is something very close to our hearts.  In January, TrustQuay provided a donation to The Castle Hill Primary School, Basingstoke, to enable them to take part in their First Lego League.  

The league helps 6–9-year-olds develop STEM skills by taking on real-world challenges, and learning the core values of innovation, teamwork, and inclusion. At TrustQuay, we feel all the more passionate about it, as a colleague sadly passed away this year. Their son is a pupil at the school and an avid member of the league, and so we wanted to raise awareness and support for the league in their memory. To quote the staff at Castle Hill: 

“I'd like to say a huge thank you, on behalf of our school, for your kind and generous donation. The children are so enthusiastic about it and it's a brilliant opportunity for them.  We are very grateful to have been given this opportunity and I'm so pleased that we have been able to do a first Lego League in his memory”. 

We are also very pleased that at a recent event, one Castle Hill’s Lego League teams won the award for Best Team Work, and we are looking forward to continuing our support and encouraging the next generation to pursue careers in STEM.

Volunteer days  

In addition to fundraising events, TrustQuay also offers a Donate a Day to Charity scheme offering staff the opportunity to spend two days a year volunteering or spending time working with a charity or community project of their choice. 

So far this year, Richard Hunt who spent the day volunteering at the school fete raising money for the schools charity, and Maddie Sansom organised a Pamper evening raising over £500 for St Luke’s Hospice.  And I presented at a school assembly on careers in STEM. New TQtogether t-shirts have also been distributed in order to spread the message and encourage more to take part! 

Work experience week 

Last week also marked our work experience week where we welcomed three Y10 students to our Fleet office from local schools to get hands-on experience within our IT, Product, DevOpps and Development functions. 

Given how much time we spend working in our lifetime, it has always been an aim of mine to really enjoy whatever I do and pass on this passion to others, and encourage them to be lifelong learners with a curious and inquisitive mindset. 

Giving back to the community through events and volunteering not only helps to support and inspire local communities but is also thoroughly rewarding personally and something we very much look forward to doing much more of as part of TrustQuay's community and charitable efforts.  

We will keep you posted on continued progress throughout the year so stay tuned for updates!