Navigator team completes ‘Bedford to Beijing’ charity challenge

The Navigator team has finished possibly the longest charity fundraising sponsored walk ever has just been completed by a team of 42 members of staff – and has so far raised more than £3,800

The group’s virtual walk involved the need to cover 25,681,901 steps in total in just 83 days, the walk was in aid of Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity a charity that sets out to save babies lives and support bereaved families.

“We were thrilled to complete this awesome challenge,” says Tom Smith, senior buyer and fundraising planner. “It was a fantastic way to promote health and wellbeing in the company while raising awareness of Sands and the incredible work they do here in Bedfordshire.”

The ‘walk’ was devised by Navigator’s charity committee – Hannah Salton, Olivia Withers and Tom Smith. Those who signed up to the event found themselves walking far more than normal, and the activity has had real benefits for the participants as well as for the charity that benefited from the event.

The route was chosen because many stock items carried by the distributor are manufactured in the Far East. Having decided on the route the organisers contacted Big Team Challenge who have a great app that tracks steps and reports progress straight to your phone and desktop, making it straightforward to monitor progress on a daily basis. The total distance was in excess of 9,720 miles.

Whilst the team has reached its virtual destination, the fundraising for Sands continues – with everyone at Navigator determined to reach their target of raising £10,000 for the charity. This is the second fundraising activity organised by the team following an earlier charity golf day that raised over £2,500.

“Every donation big or small will make a real impact on the lives of families experiencing the devastating loss of a baby,” say Hannah Salton and Olivia Withers. “We are so grateful for the support we have had from so many people – and there’s still time to donate to this worthy cause by visiting our company Just Giving Page – go to Just Giving and search for Navigator MSL.”