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Balfour Beatty joins forces with Steps to Hope to raise funds for people in need

Balfour Beatty and Steps to Hope representatives at the University of Edinburgh.

Staff across Balfour Beatty in Scotland are aiming to raise more than £140,000 to support people in need. 

The international infrastructure group has teamed up with the addiction and homelessness charity Steps to Hope to raise funds through a variety of activities and initiatives to help people in Edinburgh.

The most recent fundraising initiative, supported by the University of Edinburgh, saw Balfour Beatty and its supply chain partner Anixter recycle and sell 8.5 tonnes of redundant materials from the Institute of Regeneration and Repair Expansion project – a flagship project which will see Balfour Beatty construct a new, purpose built, state-of-the-art research facility for the university. 

All proceeds from the sale of materials were then donated to Steps to Hope.

Steps to Hope is dedicated to caring for homeless people and those suffering with addiction. More than half of its volunteers are recovering addicts.

Richard Roncero, founder and operations manager for Steps to Hope, said: “We are absolutely over the moon and grateful to have received this sizeable donation from the Balfour Beatty and University of Edinburgh team. These funds will make a huge impact in allowing us to continue carrying out our vital work for those who need it most here in Edinburgh.” 

Hector MacAulay MBE, regional managing director of Balfour Beatty’s business in Scotland, added: “Wherever we operate, we always seek to support the local community including its businesses, people and charities, collaborating to create better futures for people and communities most in need. This innovative fundraising idea was truly a win-win as it saw the recycling of redundant materials from the project raise funds for a fantastic cause.”

In further support of Steps for Hope, Balfour Beatty’s regional operations manager, Ray Duffy, completed the Climb to Hope challenge - climbing the 3,255 ft Cuillins Rocky Range before abseiling into, and spending a night in, Bastier Nick cave. 

The funds raised were donated to the 5 Weeks Sleeping Rough challenge which involved Steps to Hope boss Roncero, sleeping rough for five weeks in five UK cities.

Balfour Beatty continued its charitable support of Steps to Hope last month with senior project manager Mark Reid walking 50 miles along the East Coast of Scotland, raising more than £5,500 for the charity.

If you would like to contact Karen McLauchlan about this, or any other story, please email kmclauchlan@infrastructure-intelligence.com.