Villiers Park launches 1,000km fundraiser challenge to help empower young people in Hastings and Bexhill

Villiers Park Educational Trust is excited to announce its October fundraiser. They will be challenging staff, supporters, young people, and friends to cover 1,000km in the month of October, raising money to support young people in the towns to realise their potential.

Villiers Park is a national social mobility charity that empowers young people aged 11-19 in the Hastings and Bexhill area with personal and employability skills through one-on-one coaching, employer and university visits, and online courses. This year they will be working with 6 schools and colleges, supporting 140 young people on their Future Leaders programme.

The organisation operates in hubs across Hastings, Bexhill, Norfolk, Tyneside, and Swindon, covering nearly 1000km, and is seeking passionate participants for the upcoming October challenge. Whether you prefer to walk, run, cycle, swim, hop, skip, or jump, you can contribute to the 1000KM target. The beauty of this challenge lies in its accessibility – you can undertake it from the comfort of your own home, at the gym, or in the great outdoors.

Maria Healy, Villiers Park Coporate Partnerships Manager has set herself a particularly ambitious challenge, taking on 100km in a Cambridge to Norwich Cycle.

“I’m very excited to be part of the team across the whole charity, who are coming together to challenge themselves in October. Having been on residentials with the students last year, I know how impactful the funds will be towards enabling young people to succeed.”

Many other staff have pledged kilometres in aid of the challenge, motivated by the wonderful young people that they work with. It is with the vital partnerships and donations that Villiers Park receives that they are able to help more young people to explore opportunities for their future careers.

Abigail a student on the Villiers Park Future Leaders programme said: “When I joined the programme I already knew that I wanted to attend university. Where the programme has helped those plans is to realise that Oxbridge is an option for me, and then to give me the confidence to really consider if Oxbridge is what I want, or if staying local at great universities would be better for me and my future.”

Whether you're an avid athlete or simply want to take a leisurely stroll, every step, pedal, or stroke you make will contribute to the 1000km target and £5,000 fundraising goal.

For those who are unable to participate directly in the challenge but still want to make a difference, Villiers Park encourages you to visit their fundraising pages. There, you can support the challenge.

To get involved with a pledge or donation, please visit our fundraising page.