Barratt Homes building up communities with £170,000 raised at charity dinner

For the fourth year running, Barratt & David Wilson Homes’ (BDW) Southampton Division’s Charity Dinner brought together guests from across the construction industry for a night of fun and fundraising at St Mary’s Stadium last Friday.

Guests gave generously to support the night’s main cause, Saints Foundation, for whom BDW Southampton has raised over half a million pounds since it became a patron several years ago. The room heard the story of Frankie, a 17-year-old from Bitterne who has turned his fortunes around with the support of the Saints Switching Play programme.

The charity dinner also supported Vermont School, with a £17,000 donation made to the Southampton primary, which educates children with a wide variety of special education needs.

Hosted by comedian Mike Osman, the night’s special guest was former footballer and football manager Stuart Pearce, who shared a selection of stories from his legendary career and left the audience in stitches.

With fundraising including live and silent auctions, this year’s charity dinner raised an incredible £170,000, money that will further Saints Foundation’s goal to make Southampton a city of equal opportunity for everyone. Some of the funds raised will go directly to the Foundation’s employability project Saints Works, which helps those furthest from the job market get into work.

Glen O’Nion, Finance Director at BDW Southampton said: “The night was hugely successful and we were thrilled to raise such an incredible amount for Saints Foundation – bringing the total raised over the last two years to £370,000.

“Our mission at BDW is to help improve the communities in which we build and Saints Foundation work with many, many local projects that also significantly improve the lives of others – so it is our pleasure to support them for another year.”

Jazz Bhatti, Head of Fundraising & Partnerships at Saints Foundation, said: “We are so grateful to Barratt & David Wilson Homes for supporting us with yet another incredible night of fundraising.

“It’s thanks to the generosity of them and their guests that we’re able to continue our life-changing work in tough times for us as a charity, and indeed tough times for many people living in our city. The need for a helping hand has never been greater and Barratt are real Saints for showing their support.”