Walker Sime finds new ways to step up during the pandemic

We’re dedicated to supporting our local communities. But during the pandemic, many of our regular fundraising routes were closed just as our help was needed more than ever. Fortunately, Walker Sime people are a resourceful bunch…

We’re a people business – in every sense – at Walker Sime. You see it in what we do for our clients and what we do for our own employees. Yet the very nature of what we do means our impact is felt far more broadly, and we’re committed to supporting the people who live and work in the communities we help develop.

Finding a way

One of the causes we champion is Coffee4Craig, which provides support for the homeless community in Manchester. Usually, we would have been out fundraising throughout the year but, for obvious reasons, that hasn’t been possible over the past 14 months (although we’ll certainly be back out during 2021).

We needed to find another way of helping, so throughout the pandemic we’ve been donating clothes and food parcels to those in need via foodbanks in Oldham and Bury.

The pandemic didn’t entirely prevent us from getting out and about in aid of charity. In May 2020, we took on Springhill Hospice’s 2.6 challenge, tackling challenges based on the numbers 2 and 6. 2.6 miles run. 26 laps covered. 26 muffins eaten. The Walker Sime team used their imagination and raised more than £3.5k in the process.

A history of helping

We’ve covered a lot of ground and raised a lot of money over the past few years. In addition to Coffee4Craig and Springhill Hospice, we’ve dragon-boated our way to helping Clare House Hospice for children. We’ve taken part in the JLL Property Triathlon North, which supported JLL Property’s corporate charity, Crisis and Peel Group’s charity, the Christie. We’ve fundraised for Wirral Hospice St. Johns and the Walker in Walker Sime (Dez) took on the gruelling Barcelona Ironman to raise money for the Christie and Ronald McDonald House.

We do it because we want to help. We do it because we enjoy it – there’s a fantastic sense of camaraderie at every event, and a brilliant (if exhausted) sense of achievement afterwards. We do it because we know the difference it makes.

And as the pandemic recedes, we’re very much looking forward to getting out and doing even more to make that difference.