Avison Young has entered a 20-strong team into the full Tough Mudder held on Saturday 28th April 2018 in aid of The Faraway Children's Charity.

Totalling 10 miles, with 20 obstacles, the team are definitely signing up for a challenge! Tough Mudder is a team oriented obstacle course designed to test physical strength and mental grit.

With overall health and well being at the heart of the team’s motivation, alongside the thrill of the challenge, the untimely passing of James Swallow, Principal of Avison Young, served as key motivation for the team to take their health more seriously – and support a great cause.

The Faraway Children’s Charity (FCC) – is a registered charity (No. 1137170) established to ‘Meet the diverse needs of disadvantaged, vulnerable or at risk children and young people within Northamptonshire and the surrounding areas.’ They use a very broad definition for ‘disadvantage’ so as not to exclude any children in most need. The charity is named after one of Enid Blyton’s children’s books: ‘The Faraway Tree’ which tells the story of a group of children who discover a magical tree where they are safe and happy.

FCC is governed by a Committee of voluntary Trustees and supported by a number of volunteers who share a commitment to low cost – no cost charity administration (ordinarily insurance and storage being their only annual admin costs) to ensure maximum benefits with 100% of donations for vulnerable children. As a volunteer-led charity the FCC has no paid staff and relies solely on goodwill and generosity to achieve its ambitions for vulnerable children.

Since 2008, the FCC has distributed well over 40,000 free resources and gifts to disadvantaged children, supporting thousands of young people in the last nine years. Through donations these children have benefited from: improved hygiene; warm and clean clothes and shoes; enjoyment of toys, games and books; Christmas presents for children who may not get any or many; Easter eggs for children who may not get one; healthy and celebratory food; fun and smiles.

The FCC does not receive any statutory funding and is solely funded by the creativity and generosity of companies, individuals, clubs and groups who fundraise on its behalf or donate goods that can be distributed. The FCC is very grateful for any support offered as collectively it makes an enormous difference to some of the community’s most disadvantaged members.