Algeco UK use football fever to help raise funds for suicide prevention charity

Algeco UK, the market-leading storage accommodation and temporary building solutions provider, recently took part in a construction industry football tournament organised by The Wates Group, with over £8,000 being collectively raised for charity. 

The Wates Group is one of the leading privately-owned, construction, development and property services companies in the UK and has a long-standing history of working partnerships with construction industry leaders, including Algeco UK. The goal, beyond hitting the back of the net, was to raise vital funds for PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, a UK charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional well-being in young people.

Suicide is the biggest killer of people aged 35 and under in the UK and PAPYRUS exists to reduce these numbers, by shattering the stigma surrounding suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to emotional distress. Suicide prevention has also remained an essential topic in the construction industry, with an average of two workers in the sector taking their own life every working day. Algeco UK has contributed to fundraising causes in this space before, such as The Lighthouse Chairty, and remains committed to supporting similar worthy causes wherever possible. 

In total, 18 teams entered the tournament held in Staffordshire with hundreds of industry personnel in attendance to either take part or cheer their colleagues on. The Algeco UK team who played on the day or supported from the sidelines included Andy Brind, Chris Dinham, Sunil Achtar, Jonty Summerell, Ranjit Heer, Stewart Perry, Tom Baker Nicky Locker, Joshua Jones, Jack Darby and Marcia Broome.

As well as the hotly contested football group and knockout stages, which saw the Algeco UK team reach the plate semi-finals, a number of additional company-led fundraising initiatives took place including a competition to kick a football through a tyre hanging from a 10ft Algeco UK storage container; with a 50-inch TV, donated by Algeco, up for grabs. 

All proceeds from the day contributed to the centralised total, with The Wates Group confirming that over £8,000 was successfully raised for PAPYRUS. Su Pickerill, Head of Social Value at The Wates Group, said, “We are delighted with the reaction to our football day in Stafford, the first of two Wates Games football tournaments raising vital funds and awareness for Papyrus. A big thank you to Algeco UK for their ‘score through the tyre’ contest, which added some extra competitive spirit on the day and contributed to us raising over £8000.”  

Algeco UK Key Account Manager, Marcia Broome, said, “We are really pleased to have contributed to this fundraising initiative for PAPYRUS. This was a brilliant event organised by The Wates Group and shows just why they are an organisation that we are so proud to partner with. Algeco UK is fully committed to social value and making a positive impact in the communities we work in, as well as providing fun well-being-focused opportunities for our employees to take part in. Days like today are excellent for everyone taking part and even better, will lead to positive outcomes for people who need help the most.”  

This isn’t the first time Algeco UK has made headlines in Staffordshire in 2024, after the business also recently delivered a full turnkey solution to MOD Stafford Barracks. A little further afield, they are currently also completing the rapid deployment of the brand-new Northampton School for Boys, a 1200-place new secondary school and sixth form, launching this summer.

Algeco UK has developed the largest workspace fleet in the country, operating from strategically located service centres across the nation. Parent company Modulaire Group recently published its latest global sustainability report from 2023, showing that the group is on track to achieve its 2025 goals, with a significant 30.7% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions since 2020.