Getting fit for a hunger-free future to celebrate 75 years

30 March 2021

Ian Williams, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned property services companies, is celebrating a significant birthday this year having been in business for three-quarters of a century. To mark its 75-year milestone, the entire organisation is taking part in the Ian Williams ‘IW75 in 75 Mission’ with the aim of raising £75,000 for the More Than Homes Campaign on behalf of The Trussell Trust.

Ian Williams’ MD Andy Havard comments: “We knew we wanted to do something exceptional to celebrate our 75th anniversary and as usual for Ian Williams, that means giving something back to the customers, communities and individuals we work with. As specialist service providers to the housing sector, we are acutely aware of the challenges around poverty, especially as a result of Coronavirus which has forced us all to restrict our daily lives. For many however, this has meant going without even the most basic things like having food. That’s why we decided to embark on our most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, from which all money raised – a fitting target of £75,000 – will be donated to The Trussell Trust as part of the More Than Homes campaign.

“The More Than Homes campaign, led by one of our customers Accent Housing and with backing from the National Housing Federation, Chartered Institute of Housing and the Northern Housing Consortium, is looking to raise £1million to support food banks as they come under increasing pressure to feed more and more people. There has never been a more appropriate time for us to come together as a collective and what better way for Ian Williams to celebrate our 75-milestone than to build on the social purpose that has underpinned the brand since 1946. Good luck to all our IW75 in 75 Mission participants!”

Single largest commitment to More Than Homes

Paul Dolan, Accent Group CEO adds: “I am delighted that Ian Williams is embarking on such a large-scale fundraising activity for More Than Homes. This will be the single largest commitment made to the campaign. Now, more than ever, we must draw on our collective ambition to support our communities through this time, and we should do this with the intention of maintaining and building on these relationships to make long-lasting change. This level of support will make a huge difference to so many people.” 

Clocking up the miles, globe trotting and burning calories

Ian Williams’ Freya Gooden who is organising the event adds: “It’s perfect that Accent’s vision is ‘With You for Your Journey’ because a lot of individual and team journeys are going to be undertaken by us over coming weeks. From 1st April, we will be gathering virtually to travel around the globe, clocking up the miles over 75 days by running, cycling, walking, swimming and fitness classes. It’s an ambitious project but one that we hope will be fun, emphasise Ian Williams’ commitment to well-being, bring out our competitive edge and ultimately, raise a lot of money to help end the need for the UK’s foodbanks.”

If you’d like to help us celebrate our 75th birthday and contribute to the £75,000 target, please visit: IW75 in 75 Mission – Ian Williams and keep up to date with progress during the 75 days across our social media channels using #IW75Mission.