Sodexo goes the extra mile this Armed Forces Day

29 June 2022

30 Sodexo staff members from across the UK took part in SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity’s 13 Bridges Challenge.  On this year’s Armed Forces Day, teams took on the challenge both in person and virtually, raising almost £3,000 for SSAFA, Sodexo's charity partner.

Train strikes added to the challenge of this year’s event, but a team from HMP Bronzefield made their way to London to follow the official route along the Thames. Not to be defeated, other Sodexo teams successfully completed the challenge virtually.

Sodexo’s Property Professional Services team walked 10 miles in and around Reading, crossing 13 bridges of the Kennet and Avon Canal. The Project Allenby Connaught team took on their virtual challenge between Tidworth Garrison and Bulford Camp and then back again, and a Ministry of Justice team did a 10-mile walk taking in the sights of Shropshire.

While the walkers may not have all been together physically, they were united in spirit. Their fantastic fundraising efforts, almost £3,000 being raised for SSAFA, will help to provide vital support for serving personnel, veterans, and their families.

Sodexo has worked with SSAFA for more than 15 years, providing support in a range of ways including sponsorship, employee volunteering and fundraising, mentoring and through Stop Hunger's support of SSAFA’s homelessness fund.

Sam Nowell, Corporate Partnerships Manager at SSAFA said, “On behalf of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity I’ve got to give a big shout-out to Sodexo for this amazing effort and the amount raised. In our 14-year relationship, Sodexo has raised more than £400,000 for SSAFA, and it’s only because support like this that SSAFA, the UK’s oldest tri-service charity, can carry on its work providing practical, emotional, and financial support to our Forces and their families. It lets SSAFA be there for people in need, from Second World War veterans to those who have served in more recent conflicts or are still currently serving, and their families – any time they need us, in any way they need us, for as long as they need us.”