£4,021.25! That’s how much Form and our fearless BD have raised in support of the Young Lives Foundation.
Our BD, Elliott Sinden, has just completed this incredible challenge. On 28th June 2021, he was strapped to the wings of a bi-plane and became the very first Wing Walker for Kent children’s charity, The Young Lives Foundation.
When Elliott’s big day came around, the Form team headed over to Headcorn Aerodrome to cheer him on. They were joined by the team from Young Lives Foundation, who also couldn’t resist coming to watch him in action.
The experience was made possible by The Wing Walk Company, who provided a vintage 1942 Boeing Stearman Biplane flown by a highly experienced display pilot. Elliott was strapped to the top wing and taken up high into the sky. At heights of 700ft, the biplane performed a series of loops, swoops and dives, all with our fearless BD hanging on tight.
Raising Funds for A Great Cause
So, why did Elliott undertake such a daredevil feat? It’s all for a great cause, raising funds for the youth mental health charity, Young Lives Foundation. With the charity missing out on so many potential fundraising opportunities due to the coronavirus pandemic, he wanted to step up and make a difference.
‘’2020 was a tough year for everyone. We all missed out on so much, and it certainly has put a lot into perspective for me,” said Elliott. “Now that the end is in sight, I decided there was no better way to come out of lockdown than to fly out! This wing walk is to raise funds for the Young Lives Foundation.”
Form’s Pledge to Match Donations
When Elliott first mentioned this to his colleagues at work, we were blown away by his plans. It’s always great to see how socially responsible our team really are.
At Form, we take our corporate social responsibility very seriously. We feel that is our obligation and privilege to help those less fortunate and create opportunity for others. Since setting up as a fit-out and refurbishment contractor back in 2003, we have been dedicated to supporting our community. As we have grown over the years, so too has our contributions to our community, that is why we pledged to match the amount raised, adding extra clout to his fundraising efforts.
Steve Potter, CEO and Founder of Form, said: “Elliott’s exciting plan to raise funds for the Young Lives Foundation really captured our attention. Once we found out more about this incredible charity, which helps so many young people in their time of need, we just had to pitch in. We’ve pledged to match his donations and are absolutely delighted to be involved. We really hope our partnership with YLF continues long into the future.”
Supporting Mental Health for Young Adults
The Young Lives Foundation aims to build resilience, champion children’s rights, and provide the tools and opportunities for disadvantaged young children to reach their potential. It provides a series of Advocacy, Mentoring, Befriending and Activity Programmes that really help to make a difference.
The funds raised by the wing walk will have a direct impact. They will go specifically towards supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children aged 10-16 who have suffered from the consequences of Covid this year by offering counselling and mentoring support programmes.
Young Lives Foundation Fundraising Manager, Karen Knight, was at the event and able to personally thank Elliott for his inspiring support. She said: ”A huge thank you to Elliott who braved the skies all for YLF. It is has been great to get to know him and his colleagues at Form. Not only has Elliott raised an incredible amount for the charity, but the company also have match funded his total. The money raised is going to have a huge impact on the work the charity does in supporting young people in Kent and Medway. It will be going towards supporting young people through our mentoring programme and we are looking forward to feeding back to Elliott and his colleagues of how this has had a positive impact.”
A Fantastic Challenge; An Amazing Result
It’s no surprise that Elliott’s daring challenge gathered a lot of support. He raised a fantastic £ 2,010,62 on his Virgin Money Giving page. With this amount doubled by Form, the grand total raised for the Young Lives Foundation was £ 4,021.25.
Elliott and the Form team visited Young Lives Foundation at their headquarters to present the cheque. It was an excellent opportunity to get to know the YLF team better and find out how we can support them further in the future. We’re all hoping this exciting fundraiser is just the start of a great relationship.
‘’What an unbelievable day! It was an amazing experience, and I can’t believe how much fun I had,” said Elliott. “What made it even better is that we have managed to raise so much money for the Young Lives Foundation. It was brilliant to see them at the wing walk and spend the afternoon with the team. They really are a great bunch of guys.”
Congratulations to Elliott for this remarkable achievement!
Further Information:
Young Lives Foundation
Find out more about this inspirational charity and how you can get involved in supporting them: www.ylf.org.uk