Building for the Future Receives Surprise £10,000 Donation from Willmott Dixon Foundation

Building for the Future was presented with a surprise £10,000 donation from the Peter Willmott Foundation recently, in what the charity described as a "completely unexpected" and a hugely welcome boost as we prepare to open the new Ability Hub development this summer.

The donation comes through the Peter Willmott Foundation, established by Willmott Dixon, to support life-changing causes and create positive impacts within communities,

with 80,000 hours of Willmott Dixon employee’s time also volunteered, to support thousands of people and hundreds of community projects. 

Presenting the cheque, were Richard Poulter, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon Construction South and Rachel O'Sullivan, Supply Chain Manager.

Richard said he was proud to support a charity that has made such a significant difference to local families.

"I feel incredibly honoured to be able to present this cheque on behalf of Willmott Dixon and the Peter Willmott Foundation," he said. “This is the first donation of its kind and scale since launching the foundation, which is incredible."

Willmott Dixon have been long time partners with BftF and have donated over £120k since 2019. 

Last year, during their annual South charity challenge, Willmott Dixon raised over £30,000.

“As a long-standing supporter of Building for the Future, I know that this money is going to make a massive difference for the charity and that’s exactly what the Peter Willmott Foundation is about, it’s about helping to support our communities, giving back in ways that make a big difference.”

Overjoyed with the incredible generosity of everyone at Willmott Dixon and the Peter Willmott Foundation, BftF’s Chief Executive Jane Holmes said the donation arrived at a crucial time.

'We were absolutely blown away by this hugely generous donation from the Peter Willmott Foundation which came as a complete surprise,” she said. 

“This year has been our biggest yet as we grow into new premises, creating a huge, purpose-designed hub for disabled children and young adults. Without the amazing support of Willmott Dixon South over the years, we quite simply wouldn't have been able to achieve this. The wonderful donation from the Peter Willmott Foundation is the icing on an already very generous cake! Thank you all so much for helping us to help close to 1000 disabled children and young adults through our work.”

The latest huge show of support from the construction firm will help fund accessibility features, play opportunities and independent skills development within Ability Hub. The new centre will also house the charity's first dedicated enterprise centre for young adults, providing opportunities to develop skills, explore business ideas, build friendships and gain confidence with specialist support.

Set to open later this summer, Ability Hub will offer a safe and inclusive environment where disabled children and young adults can thrive, learn and achieve their potential.

Headquartered in Letchworth Garden City, Willmott Dixon is a privately-owned contracting and interior fit-out group. Founded in 1852, they are dedicated to leaving a positive legacy across communities and environment and is one of only a few companies to have received Queen's Awards for Enterprise in both sustainability and promoting opportunity through social mobility. Its goal is to become a net zero carbon company by 2030, with all buildings delivered after this date also being net zero. As the UK’s highest ranked contractor in the FT’s Diversity Leaders list in 2019 and 2020, Willmott Dixon aims to achieve gender parity across all levels of the workforce by 2030.