Colleagues at construction firm Beard raised more than £170,000 in 2025 to support five chosen charities across the south of England.
Funds raised through their endeavours will support thousands of people in communities in the regions where Beard operates, with each of its five offices having selected a charity of the year and taking on everything from physically demanding challenges, to team-building and wellbeing activities.
Each regional office selected their own charity of the year and raised:
- Swindon - £12,800 for Youth Adventure Trust, which currently supports 260 young people through residential camps and day activities to help them build resilience, self-esteem, social and life skills.
- Bristol - £9,300 for Grief Encounter, which could support hundreds of sleep therapy sessions for grieving children, provide art materials for therapy workshops and offer countless families access to online support sessions.
- Oxford - £23,400 for Oxford University Sport and Community Partnership, which provides young people within the community sporting opportunity.
- Guildford - £22,000 for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, which could help to fund hundreds of hours of physiotherapy and hospice care at home nurses for palliative and end of life patients.
- Southampton - £4,000 for Naomi House & Jacksplace, funds which could pay for a play specialist for a month and help support 40 sessions of play activities at the hospices for seriously ill children, young adults and their families.
The Beard Construction Charity Foundation (BCCF, formerly the Beard Charitable Foundation) matched-funded many of the activities, bringing the Beard Construction direct charitable giving to £171,500.
Since its inception in 2016, the Foundation has now donated just over half a million pounds to support initiatives driven by Beard’s people and to projects within the communities where teams live and work.
To each colleague who has given their time and effort, to everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts, and to the charities that we partner with, a heartfelt thank you.
Mark Beard, chairman
Flagship events in 2025 included Pedal to Paris, which saw nine colleagues cycle from Farnham to Paris, totalling approx. 333 kilometres, and the second annual Beard cyclathon in Oxford, where 32 teams from across the construction industry took to the saddle in a bid to top the leaderboard.
In Southampton, colleagues swapped hard hats for egg and spoon races during their first ever sports day, whilst in Bristol colleagues, partners and peers took to the green at Beard’s charity golf day. Five daring colleagues at Beard Bristol also completed a 15,000 foot sky dive.
International Day of Charity saw teams across the firm’s five offices take on fast-paced challenges with a host of creative events, including a silly hat competition, kids TV quiz, splash-a-thon, and hamper auctions, raising £1,200 in a single day.
Alongside their flagship events, Beard teams enjoyed dress down days, themed lunches, seasonal parties, flower sales and quizzes, amongst many other activities throughout the year.
Beyond fundraising, colleagues have also given their time and expertise to support local communities, including decorating a Girl Guides headquarters neighbouring their site at Trowbridge Town Hall; hosting students at the Beard woodland in Wrington Woodland with charity Urban Pursuits; and donating wood to Abington & Witney College for construction students’ carpentry competitions.
From January 2026, the Beard Construction Charity Foundation’s assets will be held and managed by Wiltshire & Swindon Community Foundation, who are committed to connecting people and businesses who care with causes that matter.
Learn more about our charitable work.
