“It’s an absolute pleasure” – Southampton housebuilder reflects on £400k year of fundraising

It’s been a blockbuster year of fundraising for the Southampton team at Barratt and David Wilson Homes.

Since July 2022, they’ve put a total of £400,000 towards all manner of good causes working in the local area.

At the top of that list was the Saints Foundation of Southampton FC, who have been the housebuilder’s charity of the year for the past three years.

Between a daredevil skydive by the Board of Directors and the annual charity auction at St Mary’s Stadium, the BDW Southampton team were able to raise a record-breaking £187,000 in aid of their vital work.

Greg Baker, Head of the Saints Foundation, said: “We’re hugely grateful for the incredible amount of money Barratt has raised on our behalf.

“Thanks to all the fundraising activities it has arranged, we can continue to help thousands of people who need support in Southampton.”

As previously reported by Hampshire Biz News, volunteers also got stuck in on a £40,000 project to refurbish facilities at a local school for pupils with special educational needs.

Directors and contractors alike headed out to Vermont School in Southampton, and alongside a host of other local businesses helped to build a brand-new outdoor play area and sensory room.

BDW has also backed a number of community events throughout the year, from Lewis-Manning’s Muddy Dog Dash in March to the Romsey Relay Marathon in May. As headline sponsor and with their own team of runners, they helped to raise more than £7,000.

Bournemouth Pride was another big event on the fundraising calendar last month, as the housebuilder sponsored the main stage for the second year running.

And then there was Time to Talk Day 2023, an opportunity for people to come together and talk about mental health, where BDW’s contribution helped Southampton charity Communicare with transport costs.

In total, the team at BDW Southampton were able to donate 728 hours of volunteering time at local organisations over the past year.

Managing Director James Dunne said: “Every single organisation we have supported is doing amazing work for local people and the community.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to raise this sum of money in return for all their efforts.”