Wates Living Space and city council saddle up for Shelter

Staff from affordable housing contractor Wates Living Space are swapping their hard hats for cycle helmets in a bid to raise money for the homelessness and housing charity Shelter.

A team of 17 employees will be cycling from Wates Living Space’s Birmingham office in Sovereign Road, Kings Norton to Stratford-Upon-Avon, covering the 40 kilometres by canal paths. They will also be accompanied by Keith Harris, contracts team manager from Birmingham City Council.

The bike ride, which takes place on Friday 20 August, was organised by business director, Tom Langley. He said: “Shelter is our charity partner, so we’re always looking for ways to raise money to support the valuable work it does.

“I’m a keen cyclist so I asked our team if anyone would be interested in doing a charity bike ride with me and was pleasantly surprised at the response, with 17 people from Wates signing up for the ride, and a colleague from Birmingham City Council also deciding to join in.

“It’s a ride not a race, so we’re aiming to enjoy the day whilst raising as much sponsorship money as we can. Our supply chain and other contractors have been fantastic and we would like to thank them for their donations and support for the event.”

Louise Parkes, head of fundraising at Shelter, says: “Wates is a fantastic charity partner for Shelter, with staff already raising over £110,000 for our vital work helping families in housing need. As this latest fundraising challenge shows, the initiative and enthusiasm of Wates employees like Tom and his team is second to none. I wish them all the best on their venture.”