The goal is ambitious but achievable: to raise £10,000 to support local charities through the Rickard Luckin Community Fund – a target that the company has generously pledged to match, potentially doubling the impact to £20,000. With over 45 individual and group challenges already pledged and more than £6,000 raised so far, the campaign is off to a strong start.

The Fund is managed by the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation. Since it was set up in 2009, prior to the merger, grants totalling nearly £32,000 have been given to support local charities and voluntary groups offering a wide range of support to local people and communities.  Alongside this, through donations, payroll giving and fundraising, the team at Rickard Luckin have grown an endowed fund with ECF of nearly £60,000 that provides an annual amount of funding to give away.  ECF works with a panel made up of members of the Rickard Luckin team, who consider applications and make decisions about which groups to support.

Recent grants include:

• Dial South Essex - £2,178 to help the charity offering confidential information, advice and advocacy to disabled people, carers or anybody with a disability related issue in South Essex.
  
• Kool Carers South East - £2,508 to support young carers in Basildon, and Brentwood.
  
• Changing Pathways - £1,050 - to support survivors of domestic abuse who are struggling financially across South and West Essex.

What is “10k Your Way”?

“10k Your Way” is a flexible and creative challenge that invites Rickard Luckin team members to take on a personal or group goal themed around the number 10,000. Whether it’s walking 10,000 steps a day, reading 10,000 pages, 10,000 minutes of exercise, or even stacking 10,000 crates – the possibilities are as varied as the people taking part.

The initiative is designed to be inclusive, allowing everyone to participate in a way that suits their interests, abilities, and schedules. Some of the recently completed pledges include:

• Michael Breame has taken on and completed a series of ambitious activities, and on Monday 29 September, he will run 19 miles between our three offices to complete his final challenge.
• Sarah Parsons committed to walking 10,000 steps every day for 100 consecutive days. She has now completed her challenge, averaging an impressive 11,927 steps per day.
• Jamie Nice set a personal goal to lose 10kg as part of his 10k Your Way challenge – a fantastic achievement that reflects dedication and discipline. He achieved this with a week spare.
• Joanna Southon committed to a challenge that was perfectly aligned with her love of reading – she set out to read 10,000 pages, combining personal passion with charitable purpose.
• Connor Woolner completed an incredible challenge of walking the distance of Chelmsford to Kent (100k). Walking through the night with the help of coffee and friends, he was also featured in the Essex Chronicle, highlighting his efforts!
• Caroline Peters worked with Guides and the Brentwood Activities Team at the Norfolk Jamboree to cumulatively stack 10,000 crates in six days through the crate tower activity.

More information about all our team’s individual pledges can be found at the bottom of the 10k Your Way Enthuse page here: Essex Community Foundation: Rickard Luckin £10k Your Way

All these incredible efforts are in support of local charities and voluntary groups that make a real difference to our local community.

If you’d like to donate and support our team’s challenges, please visit: Essex Community Foundation: Rickard Luckin £10k Your Way and either donate directly, or select a team member to support in the ‘Top fundraisers’ section. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only encourage and congratulate our team members for their challenges, but to support Essex-based charities tackling the issues our community care about most.

Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported our 10k Your Way journey so far.