The Construction Ride for Youth charity event, organised by IBC Buying Group, is a bucket-list challenge that is raising money for two exceptional charities - the Construction Youth Trust and Unitas.

From 17th to 28th May, a group of cyclists from across the construction industry will ride from Land's End to John O'Groats, travelling almost 1,000 miles through beautiful countryside and fabulous villages.

Our riders are: Dave Robertson, Ashley Woods and Piers Windsor from IBC Buying Group, Lee Hudson from GRS, Iain Betts from Tarmac, Simon Gambrill from ETEX Siniat, Jason Barber from Stockgap, Iain Mackay from SIG, and Jon Crean from VIP Polymers.

Event Sponsors Knauf, Forterra and WorldPay have already kickstarted the campaign with their generous donations, and the IBC team is now asking everyone across the industry to dig deep and donate whatever they can to help support the campaign in reaching its £30,000 target.

The funds raised through this challenge will be split equally between Construction Youth Trust (in the name of the Maddie Rose campaign) and Unitas Youth Zone.

The Construction Youth Trust aims to inspire and support young people to overcome barriers and discover the fantastic, lifelong careers that the construction and built environment industry can provide.

Unitas Youth Zone is a once-in-a-lifetime project based in Barnet, supporting young people across North London with three things they deserve and need: somewhere to go; something to do; and someone to talk to. The Youth Zone is open whenever schools are closed, and delivers 20 activities every day across sport, fitness, dance, media, mentoring, employability, and more! Open 7 days a week and with a cost of just 50p per session (waived for those who cannot afford it), Unitas Youth Zone is much more than a building for young people, it’s a place that can engage and inspire, grow aspirations, develop the skills and reach potential. The centre is thriving, attracting 1,000+ young people every week, staffed by trained youth workers.

IBC Managing Director Dave Robertson has organised the event. He says: “One of the most important things about the construction industry is that we’re a family, and that starts from the moment you join the sector. The youth of today are going to be the people who join our industry tomorrow, and it’s so important that we all give as much support and help as we can, with training, apprenticeships and many other ways we can find to mentor them and give them as many career options as possible.

“Being able to continue fundraising for Unitas and the Construction Youth Trust – especially in Maddie’s name – makes it all the more special, and we hope that many of our friends and colleagues from across the industry will be inspired to donate whatever they can to help us reach our target.”

Unitas says: "Unitas are thrilled to be chosen as one of the benefiting charities for the IBC bike ride. As a charity we are reliant on voluntary donations to keep our doors open to the hundreds of young people who come through our door every single week. Right now, our young people need the support of Unitas more than ever. The cost-of-living crisis means we are a necessity for so many local families when costs are spiralling. Even as other prices are going up, ours remain the same – 50p for entrance. We cannot do this without voluntary donations, so thank you for supporting us."

The Construction Youth Trust adds: "“We are so pleased to have been nominated as one of IBC Group’s chosen charities for their Ride for Youth challenge. It’s been a complete privilege to be part of the Maddie Rose Campaign and we are very grateful to be the recipient of the funds generated from the campaign. From all of us at the Trust, we wish everyone taking part the best of luck and look forward to seeing their progress on the cycle!”