Leyland charities receive £11,000 through fundraising fortnight

By TWA Marketing and Communications

14 Sep 2020

lead-engineer-ben-holloway-s-truck-pull.jpg

Staff at Leyland Trucks have raised an incredible £11,000 for local causes as their one-off Factory to Festival (F2F) Miles Better Together fundraising event rallies the support of the entire factory.

The fortnight-long, safe and socially distanced fundraising event organised by Leyland Trucks’ Helping Hand charity committee saw employees, together with their families and friends, lace up or saddle up during a series of walking, running and cycling challenges.

Making full use of the beautiful weather of late, staff members took to the streets of Lancashire to add as many miles as physically possible to the Miles Better Together total. Having initially set themselves a target of 2,800 miles – the distance between Leyland Trucks and its main European operations in Eindhoven, Netherlands – the final total reached 9,400 miles covered.

Leyland Trucks prototype manager and Helping Hand committee member, Stuart Derbyshire, said: “The factory’s annual summer shut down presented us with the opportunity to push forward with our charitable agenda in a safe way. At a time when local causes need our help more than ever, I’m truly in awe at what we have achieved together with the incredible generosity of all our sponsors.

“Every single mile covered meant so much to all those involved and its events like this that demonstrate how through adversity and a global pandemic, local people are still determined to rally together for the benefit of those less fortunate.

“We hand-selected which charities would benefit from the Miles Better Together event by focusing on those that had worked so tirelessly to deliver vital frontline and care services throughout COVID-19. St Catherine’s Hospice will always have a special place in our hearts as their services touch the lives of so many local people, including many of the Leyland Trucks team,  and we’re proud to have gone beyond lip service to help make a fundamental difference to them as well as The Ambulance Service Charity and other NHS front line charities.”

The unique set up featured a range of different challenges that included a special running event held by Revolution Running Club, 100-mile triathlons, half and full marathons, Leyland to Lytham cycling challenge, coast-to-coast cycling journeys, a walking club with Leyland Rotary, a special 24-hour walking challenge from Kendal to Preston that totalled 58 miles, sprint sessions at CrossFit Leyland, together with family walks and cycle rides.

One stand-out moment of the fortnight saw Leyland Trucks operations business unit manager, Ben Holloway, display strength, stamina and determination by successfully pulling a 7.5 tonne DAF LF truck for a total of 1.3km.

Ben said: “Whilst not the longest of challenges, it was definitely the slowest and heaviest distance of the fortnight! Getting the truck to start moving was relatively easy but it’s as your heart rate spikes and the lactic acid in your legs kicks in where it truly becomes tough. The 1.3km total was a real achievement, especially when all the gyms have been closed and my normal training regime had come to an abrupt stop, so having my colleagues there to spur me on made all the difference.”

Nine-year-old James Woodhouse, whose father works at Leyland Trucks, also helped to raise £2,350 of the £11,000 total. Awarded the title of Young Fundraiser of the Year 2019 for raising £950 for last year’s Leyland Trucks charity event, the boy from Clayton-le-Woods rallied his friends, family, schoolmates, parents and teachers to achieve this incredible contribution whilst also cycling the Preston Guild Wheel twice in two consecutive days.

F2F Miles Better Together also attracted the support of several corporate sponsors, with Schneider Electric, Made Profiles, Pailton Engineering, Brigade Electronics, KP Industries, Atlas Copco, OfficeTeam, Essential Industrial Services, South Ribble Borough Council and Leyland Rotary each pledging a donation that totalled £5900.

Greg Fearn from sponsor Schneider Electric said: “What the Leyland Trucks team have achieved is truly remarkable, as fundraising with the backdrop of the pandemic has been no mean feat. We have a long history with the business and our decision to sponsor such an important event which holds even greater significance in light of current circumstances was an easy one, especially knowing that our donation will go towards supporting those who are most in need.”

Emma Jacovelli, head of community engagement at St Catherine's, said: "With this latest feat, Leyland Trucks has once again shown themselves to be wonderful supporters of the hospice. We're so grateful to everyone who took part in this fantastic challenge, and to all those who so generously supported them with sponsorship. Special thanks must go to Ben and James for their incredible efforts - we're so impressed with what they achieved!

"Support from local businesses like Leyland Trucks has never been more important. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on many of the ways we rely on to raise funds - from the closure of our shops and cafe to the cancellation of our popular events. The proceeds from the F2F Miles Better Together campaign will really make a huge difference to St Catherine's and the patients and families we care for at this difficult time."

Latest news

1

Plan moves forward for new £13.2m Innovation Hub Councillor Phillippa Williamson and Coun Aidy Riggott

Plan moves forward for new £13.2m Innovation Hub

22 Jan 2025

2

Record turnover as Napthens continues to grow Stephen Faulkner

Record turnover as Napthens continues to grow

22 Jan 2025

3

Ranvir Singh to host Convention of the North 2025 in Preston Ranvir Singh

Ranvir Singh to host Convention of the North 2025 in Preston

22 Jan 2025

4

Lancashire Business Board chairman takes centre stage at Festival of Business Mo Isap

Lancashire Business Board chairman takes centre stage at Festival of Business

21 Jan 2025

5

Early handover success for £1.7m youth centre expansion in Blackpool Representatives from Blackpool Council, Blackpool Boys and Girls Club, Warden Construction and Cassidy and Ashton

Early handover success for £1.7m youth centre expansion in Blackpool

21 Jan 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
The Lancashire Festival of Business
FOB 315
Exhibitions
30 Jan 2025

The Lancashire Festival of Business

Impact Conferencing, Burnley, BB12 6QP

09:30 - 16:00

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3
Blue-Modern-Land-Travel-Youtube-Thumbnail-2-1024x576.png.png
LBV Hub Awards
14 Jan 2025 - 18 Mar 2025

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3

Community & Business Partners CIC, Blackburn, BB2 3UA

09:30 - 13:00

North West Holiday Home Show
PLG - NWHHS - Social - Jan 2024.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
18 Jan 2025 - 26 Jan 2025

North West Holiday Home Show

South Lakeland House Showground, Yealand Redmayne, LA5 9RN

09:00 - 14:58

January Freelancer Meet-Up and Coworking Day
Freelancer Meet-Up Jan general.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Jan 2025 - 23 Jan 2025

January Freelancer Meet-Up and Coworking Day

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:00

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire
LBV Hub Event Image.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
30 Jan 2025 - 30 Jan 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire

Strawberry Fields Digital Hub, Chorley, PR7 1PS

18:00 - 20:00

February Preston Tech Connection Meet-Up: Tech & Our Planet
PRESTON TECH CONNECTION jan.ai.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
12 Feb 2025 - 12 Feb 2025

February Preston Tech Connection Meet-Up: Tech & Our Planet

Society1 Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:30

Police Apprenticeship event
Student Centre Autumn 2022.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Social
12 Feb 2025 - 12 Jan 2025

Police Apprenticeship event

University of Central Lancashire, Foster Social Space , Preston , PR1 2HE

16:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Feb 2025 - 13 Feb 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Sub36 Networking - Behind the beans
Sub36 Social1200Atkinsons New
Networking
14 Feb 2025

Sub36 Networking - Behind the beans

Atkinsons Speciality Coffee, Lancaster, LA1 1 EX

09:00 - 11:30

Red Rose Awards 2025
Red Rose Awards 2025
Awards
13 Mar 2025

Red Rose Awards 2025

Winter Gardens Blackpool

18:00 - 11:59

Lancashire Business Day 2025
241122lbvlancashiredaylhp0647web
Networking
27 Nov 2025

Lancashire Business Day 2025

12:00 - 17:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV120 Online Graphic 1
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin