Removing barriers to education

When we launched our partnership with Action for Children in 2015, we committed to establish an education fund that would help children and young people achieve their potential. We wanted to tackle the issues that can inhibit disadvantaged youth at school and limit future life prospects.

More than one in four children in the UK are defined as living in relative poverty with families that are struggling to afford school essentials like uniforms, school shoes and study guides. The lack of basic materials or a decent uniform can have a serious impact on a child’s learning, lowering their educational attainment and contributing to lower paid jobs in the future.

In our first year we raised £75,639 for our fund, £25,000 more than our original target.

Mary O’Hagan, Head of Corporate Engagement for Action for Children, commented:

We’re delighted that Turner & Townsend have managed to raise this much money in just one year. It will help remove barriers that stop children fully engaging in their education.

“Giving children the essentials they need raises their confidence and motivates them to succeed. The education fund will provide more than 700 grants this year to help improve the future of young people all over the country.”

Colleagues across the UK have participated in a diverse range of fundraising events to support the fund, including CEO and Byte Night sleep outs, RideLondon-Surrey 100 and the Great North Run. In 2017, we increased our fundraising target to £100,000 and aim to expand pro bono and volunteering support for the charity.