Inspired by Yorkshire-born, Captain Sir Tom Moore, an Intergenerational Walkathon took place today (12 August 2020) on Holbeck Moor to raise money for non-for-profit organisation, Holbeck Together.
The Leeds United Foundation has joined forces with the National Citizen Service to give teenagers (aged 15-17) the chance to develop life skills and learning. The two-week scheme includes a number of self-development activities, community engagement planning and a chance to raise money for a chosen charity. Leeds United Foundation has selected Holbeck Together as one of its charities of choice.
This morning, 12 teenagers teamed up with 6 older members of the community from Holbeck Together to take part in a 500-steps each Walkathon along Holbeck Moor. During the challenge, the clients were interviewed by the teenagers to understand how they have coped with life in Lockdown and what challenges they have faced and overcome – this is part of the community engagement segment of the scheme to encourage the young and old to share life experiences.
The Walkathon adhered to strict social distancing guidelines set out by the Government to ensure the health and safety of all those taking part in the challenge.
Speaking on behalf of the Holbeck Together, Elissa Newman, Chief Officer said:
“Community connectivity is at the heart of everything we do, so to see young people getting involved with us in this way is fantastic. Our older clients are always up for a challenge and having been unable to interact face-to-face for such a long period of time we know they had a great time with the teenagers.
“Supporting local communities is incredibly important, so for the youngsters to get hands on experience at this stage in their life is a great opportunity and we hope they enjoyed the experience as much as we did.”
The teenagers involved in the National Citizen Service scheme have already taken part in a number of fundraising activities outside Elland Road, including 500 seconds of planking, 500 seconds of dancing and 500 seconds of passing a ball to raise money for Holbeck Together and the Recovery Hub in South Leeds.
This post is based on a press release issued on behalf of Holbeck Together
