Dorset-based AJC Group has committed to raising £10,000 for a local homelessness charity, while pledging to build 500 new affordable homes across the Wessex region by 2028.
The housebuilder currently has 173 private and affordable homes under construction, with a strong land pipeline located across Dorset, Hampshire, and Somerset, capable of achieving 500 new affordable homes over the next five years.
AJC Group’s 35-strong team is in training to collectively walk 1,500 miles during the Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge this May, to raise vital funds for Bournemouth-based Hope Housing, Training and Support. Each participant from the firm has made a commitment to fundraise at least £250 for the local homelessness charity.
Based on St Swithuns Road South in Bournemouth, Hope Housing, Training and Support opened in 2009 by Julie Berti and her father David Botterill. 92 men and women aged 18-65 are currently temporarily housed in Hope’s 12 properties located within Bournemouth and Poole. The main site has cabins in the grounds for specific projects.
Julie Berti, CEO of Hope Charity, said: “We are incredibly grateful to AJC Group for selecting us as their chosen charity. The pledge of £10,000 would make a real difference to the work we do in Bournemouth and Poole. A proportion of the money raised would be spent on crisis counselling for those in need of urgent help when they first arrive at one of our houses. The funds would also help people move on to independent living by contributing towards the deposit required for their own accommodation.”
The Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge will take place along the coastal path in The Purbecks, Dorset, across the weekend of 13th and 14th May 2023. 35 members of the AJC team will be taking part in the long-distance charity challenge, with varying distances being walked, jogged, or ran, to suit individual capabilities. Team training is taking place during office hours on Monday mornings, as well as over evenings and weekends.
Sebastian Janes, Managing Director of AJC Group, said: “Having raised £10,000 for the Poole-based Routes to Roots charity last year, we are just as committed to giving the Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge our all to help raise funds for our 2023 charity partner – Hope Charity. While the rising cost-of-living continues to affect us all, we are very grateful to have our jobs, our houses and a happy homelife. The men and women that the Hope team helps daily face complex challenges that have only been heightened in recent times.
“Several of us have committed to running 100 km during a single day to help raise awareness and meet this fundraising goal. By pushing ourselves well out of our comfort zone, we hope that we can count on the generosity of our family, friends, and those we work with to dig deep and donate.”
Six sites are currently under construction by AJC Group, including a development in the village of Okeford Fitzpaine near Blandford Forum. Live projects on Lindsay Road, The Sloop, and Herbert Avenue, are all located in Poole, while The Sonnet apartment scheme is in Bournemouth. The multi-award-winning housebuilder has also recently started construction at one of its largest projects, which will deliver 57 affordable houses and apartments for Aster Group within the former Dorchester Brewery regeneration scheme.
To donate and read more about the pledge and Hope Charity’s story, visit AJC Group’s Just Giving page: AJC Group is fundraising for Hope Housing, Training & Support (justgiving.com)