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Housebuilders swap bricks for beaches on 20-mile charity trek

Hopestead fundraising

The walkers made their way from Bacton in north Norfolk, along the coast to Cromer, and back again.

A team swapped building homes for sea air and sore feet by taking part in a coastal trek which raised more than £6,600 to help end homelessness.

Thirteen colleagues, mostly from housebuilder Flagship Homes, hiked from Bacton to Cromer and back again – around 20 miles – to raise money for Norfolk-based homelessness charity Hopestead.

Sarah Gilbert from Flagship Homes organised the walk along with colleague Isabel Bateman.

Mrs Gilbert said the seven-hour walk along north-east Norfolk’s dramatic coastline had been exhausting, but rewarding.

She said: “We build homes for a living, so the idea of helping people who haven't got one really matters to us. The team were incredible, and we've come back tired but proud."

walkers

The walkers were mostly from Flagship Homes, which is part of BFL alongside Hopestead.

The walk began and ended at St Andrew’s Meadow in Coast Road, where Flagship Homes is building 47 homes – 28 for affordable rent and 19 for shared ownership – a hybrid between renting and buying.

The team made their way past clifftop villages including Mundesley, Trimingham and Overstrand, before reaching Cromer and heading back for a fish and chip supper.

Chris Elliott, Hopestead’s fundraising manager, thanked the team for their efforts.

Mr Elliott said: “Homelessness doesn't end when someone gets the keys to a house. It ends when that house starts to feel like home.

“The money this team has raised goes directly into making that happen, and we couldn't be more thankful for the effort they've put in."

Hopestead, founded in 2020, works across the East of England supporting some of the 26,000 people in the region currently experiencing homelessness, and campaigning for change to prevent this number growing.

walkers

The walkers said the effort was challenging, but rewarding.

The charity helps turn houses into homes, backs frontline organisations on the ground, and amplifies the voices of people with experience of homelessness to push for change.

Mrs Gilbert said she was thrilled with the amount raised. Part of the total came from a bake sale and a furniture sale, with a further donation from Aspen Build, the Ipswich-based main contractor on St Andrew's Meadow and sponsor of the walk.

Flagship Homes and Hopestead are both part of BFL (Bromford Flagship LiveWest) – the UK’s largest builder of affordable homes.

To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/campaign/homeswalk26