On 30^th July we undertook our 10^th London street walk with our wonderful group of volunteers headed up by steerco members Kerry Burke and Billy Harrigan. London has been a historically tricky city to tackle however we have some key areas that we focus on to enable us to maximise the number of people we can help. Lots of miles are covered during the event!

See below a 1^st time volunteer account from Penny Laver, Group Legal Counsel at Smiths News…

 

‘As a new starter with Smiths News in January I was already aware of the integral part Pass it On plays in the business and as a charity in its own right. I was keen to get involved but thought I would stick to helping fill the office street walk donations basket this year. However, when the call went out for volunteers for the Summer campaign, I faced down my fears that I didn’t know people well enough or that it would be too daunting and signed up for the London Street Walk.

 

I’m so glad I did. The whole process worked like clockwork, directed by incredibly dedicated team leaders who’d also been delivering care packs to shelters during the day. The fact that the packs are prepared by colleagues at our sites makes it a true business wide effort.

 

I was struck by the priority given to listening to the people we met as we progressed on the walk and hearing their stories. It was evident that the care packs (particularly the sleeping bags) were meeting an immediate need but were sadly only a drop in the ocean. Wielding a care pack trolley as a “learner driver” through central London during rush hour will sit in the memory, as will getting to know a wonderful bunch of colleagues and customer representatives who know the process inside out. Far more importantly, I won’t forget seeing the difference a street walk makes and the scale of the problem and I hope to continue helping with future campaigns.’