HISTORIC EMPLOYEE STORIES 

Alex walked more than the length of a marathon, 28 miles on Friday 24th February which was the first anniversary of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.  He walked from the Ukrainian centre in Nottingham to the Ukrainian centre in Leicester.

Alex, said 'it took him 10hrs 43mins with 2 breaks and 2 interview breaks.'

He has met and beaten his target and raised £2.164.00  Alex wanted to thank his colleagues who helped him reach his target.

CLICK HERE  If you'd like to find out more about why Alex walked to raise funds for British Ukrainian Aid

Paresh is running the Leicester half marathon with his brother to raise vital funds for PADS 'Positive about Down Syndrome'.

This isn't the first run that Paresh has done for PADS as it's a charity that is very close to his heart.

To learn more and to help Paresh raise funds if you can Click here

The finance team have been knitting Poppies to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

The wearing of a poppy is a symbol of thanks and remembrance for the selfless work of the Armed Forces community past and present.  Each poppy is a personal display of recognition for those who have always been - and always will be - committed to protect us, our freedoms and our society's way of life.

Poppies are for sale at Head Office, with all donations going to the Royal British Legion.  Contact louise_bates@next.co.uk for how to buy.

Click here to see what your poppy means to our Armed Forces community

All prepped and raring to go, the Courier department are looking forward to joining lots of the Gedding road gang who are taking part in this year's Shine Walk. On Saturday 22nd October.

It's the first charity walk for some of them however, they're not daunted.  Walking in memory of loved ones and raising funds for vital research into the causes and treatments for cancer will be worth every step of the 10K walk for Cancer Research UK 

The remarkable Senior Enquiry Team at Gedding Road will be joining a group of colleagues and friends to take part in this charity walk to raise awareness and make a difference to Cancer Research.

'This is for those who have fought cancer and won and especially for those flying high watching over us' 

Another team join the iconic Shine Walk in Leicester on Saturday 22nd October 2022

The fantastic restaurant team at Gedding road will join more colleagues to take part in the 10K walk to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.

The team are looking forward to donning their glow sticks and walking in memory of loved ones.

Like so many on the walk our lives have been impacted by Cancer.  I lost my Mum to the devastating decease a few years ago.  To make the world a better place it's so important to be able to contribute to the vital research to improve survival rates of anyone affected by cancer.  H and I are really looking forward to reaching the end of the walk with colleagues from work ,making a difference together!

Andrea and friends are taking on the  10K Shine walk this October to raise much needed funds for Cancer research UK.

Andrea sadly has friends who have been affected by Cancer and said 'I'm doing my bit to show my support to friends and families who are touched by cancer.  And hoping in time with research this can be eliminated'

If you're able to help Andrea raise money for Cancer research UK Click here

Laura from 910 Norfolk, Longwater wants to try and help her lovely colleague Janna raise £120K for her life saving treatment.  'She has been through so much over the last few years and we are really trying to do everything we can, with bake sales, charity event nights, sponsored walks, everything, just to try and help her reach her target.'

If you'd like to donate see Janna's Fundraising page here. 

To read more about Janna's story and how she has coped with life changing circumstances click here

Kish used to always buy goodies for his teams when he went grocery shopping, then thought about how he could do some good.  His little Tuck Shop evolved to have an honesty tub where his colleagues could help themselves and put in a donation.  They raised £91 which Kish has donated to Rainbows 

As with most families I have been affected by cancer.  My grandfather passed away some years ago and we always try to raise some money in his name on a yearly basis and we always choose to support Macmillan as they had such a positive influence on not just him but the whole family in his last months.

They took him on away days so that the family could have some down time as during his last 6 months he needed 24/7 care.  He particularly liked the fashion show trip, something he'd never experienced before. Macmillan also helped with financial advice. 

To help support Amanda Click here 

Mike Ives embarked on an EXTREMELY long tandem bike ride (1027 miles to be precise) to raise funds for a charity that is immensely close to his heart and a very worthy cause - Thomas's Fund. The full backstory, learning exactly why Mike has been an absolute hero for his friends, is linked below where you can also donate. 

'A target of £10 per mile - which would have been £10,270 had there not been some detours due to road closures on Day 1 that added to the distance. In the end though, the publicity we generated en route seems to have garnered a lot of interest and our total so far is far beyond certainly my expectations.' 

For more info and to donate click here

Macmillan has been a font of knowledge and a fantastic means of support from my initial diagnosis and throughout my treatment for cancer.  They are such an amazing charity that I wanted to give something back. Whilst the official event was  postponed until 2022, after all our practice walks and preparation we were determined to complete our hike in the Peak District this year.  

Needless to say, it was a challenge but we overcame the hurdles making us all the more stronger for whatever life may throw at us.   Whilst, at the same time, raising much needed funds for Macmillan Cancer. Our initial Team Target was £3000 but thanks to donations from friends, colleagues and family we raised SO much more! Click here to see how much Steph and co raised

Andrea Burley, Charities Manager finally got to do her Skydive for Loros.

It was 18 months ago that Andrea decided to knock another challenge off her Bucket list whilst raising funds for a charity close to her heart.  Her skydive was cancelled 3 times however, Andrea didn't give up and finally jumped on Sunday 10th October, in bright blue skies. 

'It was both exhilarating and peaceful and to raise £1000.00 for Loros was the icing on the cake. It was a wonderful experience which I'd definitely do again!'

She did it!  

Katy a Compliance Officer at Next Retail, signed up for the London Marathon in 2020 which was sadly cancelled.  She continued to run and is took part in this years Marathon raising funds for Retina UK

'The marathon was just amazing! Very very tough but London crowds and support was fantastic! I want to thank Next for the donation at the start of my fundraising - it really was the best start! Thanks, Katy 

Click here to see Katy's story. It's not too late to offer her your support.

Sarah Allen, Assistant Merchandiser is completed her first Marathon in October to raise money in memory of her dear Dad Alfie. After a series of events, this years virtual marathon was the culmination of Sarah's fundraising activities for 2021.  Sarah split her donations between 2 charities.  To find out more click here

In aid of Rainbows Hospice for children and young people, Malc and Mike from Brands Marketing team braved a 14,000ft skydive to help raise funds for the Loughborough based charity after hearing how hard the hospice had been hit by the pandemic. They have hit their target of £3000. Click here to find out their overall total! 

Rob Sneddon, part of the Menswear team at Next took it upon himself to do a run in aid of MND Charity after a colleague was diagnosed. The team as a collective did various fund raisers for the charity, however Rob felt that he wanted to play his part by doing a run around Leicestershire totalling, 106 mile which equated to 4 back-to-back marathons in under 28 hours. He managed to raise a huge £4114 for the charity alone. 

Helen had originally planned to join the Leicester to Skegness 100 mile bike ride for LOROS.  Sadly this race like so many others was cancelled due to covid.    

On the 26th June Helen set out alone to ride 116 miles from Leicester to Saltfleet.  She set off with her  puncture and tyre kit, spare inner tube, trusty Garmin, sandwiches and homemade flapjack. She had lots of support from her colleagues whose messages of encouragement kept her going.  

 She stopped for sandwiches in an idyllic spot on a disused railway line when the Red Arrows put on a display overhead.  'It was truly incredible' Helen said.  I'd told Charities what I was doing and they were able to give me a donation as LOROS is a registered charity.  I'm really grateful to have completed the ride.  I didn't feel lonely riding solo as there were so many people to say hello to.'  

Click here for more info on LOROS

Various employees at Next have taken up the challenge to run a marathon in aid of a variety of charities. Whether it be on their own or with the support of others from their teams at Next, family and friends! We love to share marathon stories, so if you're planning to run one or have previously, get in touch with our team today! 

Various employees at Next have taken up the challenge to run a marathon in aid of a variety of charities. Whether it be on their own or with the support of others from their teams at Next, family and friends!