EMPLOYEE'S STORIES 

How have you found your training for the London Marathon?

I'm not a natural runner so it has been a long and hard 9 months of training from the moment I got my entry place.  When I look back on where I started I feel very proud of how far I have come as I struggled to even run down the road.  Training at 5.30am through the winter months which were dark, wet and cold, so I'm glad for the lighter days.

How do you feel about taking on the Marathon on the 21st?

I feel equally nervous and excited now that it's only a week away.  I've done the hard graft of over 500 miles in training, so the marathon will be a celebration of all my hard work.

How did you choose your charity?

I have chosen to raise money for the MS Society, a charity close to my heart as my Auntie has had the debilitating disease for 25 years.  They money raised will go towards helping them develop new treatments or even hopefully find a cure.

If you 'd like help Abbie reach her fundraising target click here

How has your training been?

- Not bad.  I only found out I got the place 11 weeks from race day so it's been a case of packing in lots of miles quite quickly.  I have gone through tendon problems in my knee, sore ankle ligaments, a seized up calf muscle and other niggles but am still just about OK!  

How do you feel about taking on the Marathon on the 21st?

Excited, slightly nervous but on the whole, looking forward to what I expect will be an amazing experience.

Your charity and why you have chosen them.

- I'm Running for Cure Parkinson's.  I got the offer of a fairly last minute place as I assume someone else had dropped out.  It's a cause close to our hearts in childrenswear as a colleague of many years was diagnosed with the disease at an early age.  I am proud to be running for them and have put all my efforts into fundraising.  I am very grateful for all the supporters who have enabled me to reach such a total so quickly.

If you'd like to give Chris an extra boost to his fundraising click here

How has your training been?

I have had so much fun training, it is my "me" time away from work and 2 crazy children!. My aim for this year is to complete 6 half marathons with my goal to be able to complete a marathon next year. I have now completed the Prestwold hall and London landmarks half. My next one is the great Birmingham run in July and then onto the Great North run in September.

I completed the LLHM for the NSPCC, I have always admired the work they do and have raised money for this charity a couple of times in the past. It is an amazing charity and having two children myself makes it all that more special to be able to raise money to help other children.

If you're able to support Kelly in reaching her goal to raise funds for the NSPCC click here

Last year I visited India to celebrate a festival, I came across a few cancer charities raising funds during the festival. My heart melted and felt pity for the poor little kids going through the pain of cancer. It was so painful to see how small kids lose their hair at a very young age, at that point I decided I wouldn't just waste my hair . When I came back to the UK, I was aware of the charity called Little Princess Trust to help for such a great cause and help provide real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and is also one of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the UK. It costs £500 to make one wig for a little cancer patient to look beautiful, I want to try my best to raise funds for at least 3 little princesses to get their wigs and smiles."

If you'd like to help Yogesh reach his target click here 

My place in the London Marathon has been granted by the Cure Parkinson's foundation, in connection with my job at Next.  The cause is close to the hearts of many at Next, as an old colleague of mine was diagnosed with this terrible disease at an early age and since then has devoted a lot of time and energies into the charities department at Next and Parkinson's charities in particular. I have committed to raising a target of £2,500 in return for my place in the event.  This is a really sizeable amount of money to raise, especially as the place was granted with just less than 11 weeks before the big day so I'm grateful for any contributions. I am honoured to run for this charity and hope that my efforts can financially support and generally promote their cause.  Any contribution to this fundraiser will be greatly appreciated.  

Any contribution you could make to Chris's fundraising would be gratefully received, if you'd like to help, click here.

Last year I visited India to celebrate a festival, I came across a few cancer charities raising funds during the festival. My heart melted and felt pity for the poor little kids going through the pain of cancer. It was so painful to see how small kids lose their hair at a very young age, at that point I decided I wouldn't just waste my hair . When I came back to the UK, I was aware of the charity called Little Princess Trust to help for such a great cause and help provide real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment and is also one of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the UK. It costs £500 to make one wig for a little cancer patient to look beautiful, I want to try my best to raise funds for at least 3 little princesses to get their wigs and smiles."

If you'd like to help Yogesh reach his target click here 

"I loved every minute of it, both the challenge and for the cause. I was more nervous talking on the radio than the walk. I was sad it finished as I had enough energy to carry on but to achieve 49 miles in 2 days with added route adjustments was a massive achievement.  I'm overwhelmed with the support I received at Head Office especially from my team.  Already looking at the next challenge...to London maybe?" 

See below for more about Alex's fundraising for British Ukrainian Aid

When Lexi Lawrence was told that her Grandmother had been diagnosed with breast cancer she decided to do something about it.  Whilst travelling she noticed an advertisement for Mixed Martial Arts where she'd receive training which would end in an MMA bout.  Lexi decided to take on the challenge and raise funds for the Pink Ribbon Foundation at the same time.  With eight weeks of training twice a week Lexi went from a complete novice to someone who could handle themselves in a ring.  Lexi found it difficult but loved meeting new people and trying something new.  Her fight took place on March 15th and although Lexi was scared at the beginning she found it to be an exhilarating and rewarding experience.

If you'd like to help Lexi reach her fundraising target click here and for more information on the work of The Pink Ribbon Foundation click here

Jayne lost her dear friend Denise in 2018 to bowel cancer and decided to take on a challenge in her memory and to also raise awareness and much needed funds for the charity.  Jayne finds December difficult as she misses her friend so much.  'Denise loved Christmas and  January isn’t much better as it would have been her birthday month. Denise was a gynaecological  nurse for 30 years and had 3 children, she was a force to be reckoned with so I'm walking with her in mind which keeps my spirits lifted.'

To help Jayne raise much needed funds please click here 

Hello.. for those of you who don't know me, i'm Genna. I've worked at Next for 17 years and I now work in charities. I was diagnosed at just 34 with young onset Parkinson's. 

Did you know.....Anyone can get Parkinson’s, young or old. Every hour, two more people are diagnosed. There are over 40 symptoms. Tremor. Pain. Anxiety. Everyone’s experience is different. And there’s no cure. Yet.

My friend, Harley is running the London marathon in April in support of me and others like me. He is running for Parkinson's UK to help them continue their good work. Please support him by clicking here if you can. 

Thank you for the support.

We in Charities heard such great things about all of your efforts to raise funds for Macmillan hosting Coffee Mornings on September 29th. Everyone in Payroll & HR worked as a great team and put on a fabulous spread.  Gedding Road also had a series of pop ups all raising money for Macmillan.  If you have any pictures or any figures raised that you haven't shared with us, please email: claudia_balderson@next.co.uk To find out more about Macmillan Cancer support click here

I am very proud to have completed the Great North Run!  My mum has suffered with slow progressive MS for over 20 years and has always spoken so highly of the work the MS Research and Relief Fund have done for her over the years. 

I'm pleased to have been able to raise much needed funds for MSRRF as a  thank you for the support given to my mum through her MS journey. 

Click here if you'd like to support Rena

I've chosen this charity because what they do is for such a great cause. Life can be pretty tough at the moment with the cost of living, bills, food etc and then something on the news really struck me a few months ago. I saw a clip which mentioned that parents with terminally or seriously ill children who may need equipment or machinery at home are really struggling with the cost of bills, on top of the cost of travelling to and from appointments. 

I was then looking to see what support there is for these families, and that's when I found this charity. The charity takes the stress off already worried families and grants children wishes, which sometimes can be as simple as a trip to the safari park, or a new television. I think what they're doing is amazing. They're a small local charity, so any help is hugely appreciated. 

I started running around 1 year ago and would never run more than 5km, so training for the half marathon, in the summer months too, has been a challenge - but it will be worth it!

If you'd like to help Ellie support this local charity, click here

I met Steve in 2011 and we clicked.  We loved adventure and music and had lots of fun and wonderful experiences which we shared with family and friends.  Steve loved to bring people together and was kind, generous, thoughtful and fun.  We grew as a couple and eventually lived together and in August 2016 Steve proposed. I couldn't have been happier.

Late in November of that year Steve was violently sick and after further investigation this proved to be a symptom of a brain tumour.  In 2017 we were told that Steve had an incurable brain tumour and had months, not years to live. 

LOROS got in touch with us and offered us immediate counselling and complementary therapies which helped us come to terms with this devastating prognosis.  I'm very fortunate that 15 lovely friends and family are joining me in walking to raise money for LOROS.  So that they can continue to offer compassionate care, to terminal patients.  If you'd like to help me raise as much money as I can, please click here

WE DID IT! Click above to see how much we raised.

When Anne joined the NEXT Occupational Health team at Elmsall Way she wanted to  continue raising money for Cancer Research after losing a colleague to cancer whilst at her previous job.

Over the past 7 years the team of colleagues that have taken part in the Race for Life has continued to grow. Sadly as the number of cancer survivors and victims grow more than one team member has been affected.  The team members, Anne Newham, Debbie Pestell, Abigail, Mark Smith, Brett Elliott, Roy Clark, Danny Wheatley-Darrand, Michael Lauder, Shaun Taylor, Sarah Tracey and Amevi (Nico) Kouassi, chose the longest walk of 10K which they all completed at Cleethorpe's Race for Life on the 14th May.

Click here to see their fundraising page

If you'd like to get involved and take part in a Race for Life click here

And for more information about the amazing work that Cancer Research do thanks to your donations click here. 'Thank you NEXT charities for your generous donation towards our Fundraising total'.

'On May 28th I'm swapping my mountain bike for my roadie and am taking part in the Ride London Cycling Marathon.  It's 100 miles from Essex to London.  I'm doing this to raise money for the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance which cover most of the East Midlands!  Most of us may not need them in our lifetime but if we ever did, they're an absolute godsend to have!'

They are run solely off charitable donations and I'm aiming to raise £500 and have reached £425, so I just need a bit more to reach my target!

Philippa prefers life under water but has taken on the challenge of doing something completely different.  

Training for Philippa started in October and she is ready and raring to go with the hope of raising as much money for Dementia Uk and Tommy's as possible.

If you'd like to show your support for Philippa click here

'Tracey and Tina have taken on the Cancer Research challenge of walking 10'000 steps each day in March.  They say that ' sitting at a desk for your job makes it very difficult to reach 10'000 steps so they've had to walk at every opportunity.

We come onto site early each day to walk up and down the car park, we're walking during our breaks and lunches regardless of the weather.  So far we've faced gale force winds, rain, sleet and heavy snow but we've still hit our target each day.  People around Head Office may see us early in the morning and may wonder what we're up to, so this is to confirm we're not crazy!

Click Tina or Tracey to support them in raising funds for Cancer Research