Leading tile manufacturer goes the distance for international charity

As part of its 2024 Give4Good initiative, a team from leading roof tile manufacturer, Russell Roof Tiles recently travelled to Kenya to support The Footprints Family.

Established in 2008, The Footprints Family provide food, clothing, shelter and healthcare to vulnerable children and young people (aged 1-24) on the south coast of Kenya (East Africa) as well as supporting them with life skills and wellbeing through education. Family Footprints founder Kerry Wanjaba (originally from Burton on Trent) has built the charity from the ground up and more than a decade on has made a difference to over 200 lives.

As part of its Give4Good initiative, the manufacturer’s 150-strong team is this year pledging to raise £50,000 for good causes throughout 2024. Earlier this year, the company announced that 12 organisations, 10 UK-based, and two international will benefit from its fundraising efforts.

The visit to Kenya is the first international journey Russell Roof Tiles has made in the name of charity and provided a team of six (three from each of Russell Roof Tiles sites in Burton on Trent and Lochmaben) with an eye-opening experience that has had a profound and long-lasting influence on them.

The team spent a week volunteering, supporting the children that the organisation works to help. The group included Sue Gough, Coral Hayward and Dawn McLoughlin from Burton on Trent, as well as Debbie Allen, Gillian Moffat and Jacqui Summers from Lochmaben.

During their week in Kenya, the Russell Roof Tiles six spent each day with the children from 7:30am to 9pm, taking part in a range of activities including jewellery making, preparing food packages, weaving, games and more. They were also given the opportunity to experience local village life.

Before their return, the team presented founder “Mama Kerry” with £18,425, which was raised for the charity by the team members and partners of Russell Roof Tiles, smashing their original £5,000 target. The cash was raised through several innovative fundraising events including a comedy night, race nights, raffle, charity Zumba, car boot sale and cookery book.

The donation will be used to buy a new minibus, which will provide the foundation with essential transportation for collecting the children and bringing them to the school each morning.

Coral Hayward, wife of Rusell Roof Tiles Managing Director Andrew Hayward, based in Burton on Trent, comments: “The support that Kerry provides for the children and what she’s achieved is just incredible. To look back at where The Footprints Family started to where it is now is inspiring, they’ve provided not just a school but a family and loving community.

“It was truly uplifting to see first-hand how happy the children are. They are so engaged in lessons and activities, and we are all very grateful to have been given the opportunity to offer our support. As a team, we brought a range of different skills and ideas that enabled us to come up with some great activities for the children. We also made sure to get involved with all activities that Kerry had planned and made the most of every moment we had there.

“I personally feel extremely invested in the work of The Footprints Family and hope to return in future years to offer more of my time and see how the children develop and grow.”

Russell Roof Tiles started supporting the charity five years ago, when members of the team raised £1,600 for Footprints with a walking challenge, collectively taking more than 17 million steps over four-months – the distance from Burton to the Footprints orphanage. Last year they also generously donated £4,000 which paid for a new roof for the school.

Gillian Moffat, partner of Operations Director Bruce Laidlaw, based in Lochmaben adds: “To be given the opportunity to travel to Kenya for an experience like this and offer support for such an impactful charity was incredible and I think I speak for the whole team when I say this will hold a big place in all of our hearts for a long time.”

Russell Roof Tiles is a leading independent concrete roof tile manufacturer supplying products for the top housebuilders and high-profile social housing and commercial projects, with sites in Burton on Trent and Lochmaben (Scotland).