Kier partnership with COINS and COINS Foundation; an example of social conscience of the Construction Industry.

Since 2004, the Kier Group has committed teams to the COINS 3 Peaks Challenge. Kier teams have raised in excess of £100,000 for projects supported by the COINS Foundation in that time.

In 2011 two teams entered from Kier IT, impressively raising £13,000 for the COINS Foundation. The teams showed fantastic spirit during the event but particularly with their fundraising efforts. They organised everything from their own event website and tweeting during the challenge, to cakes sales and impressive raffles; prizes included hospitality at Manchester United as well as winning an Audi convertible for the weekend! The COINS Foundation thanks them for their efforts and congratulates them on their successful completion of the COINS 3 Peaks Challenge.

In 2009, Mark Starling Kier Safety, Health & Environmental Manager was a COINS 3 Peaks participant. Inspired by this challenge and with joint support from Kier and COINS, Mark decided to take on the more extreme challenge of racing to the North Pole with an ambition to raise £50,000 for the COINS Foundation. In pursuit of this fundraising challenge Mark has continued to embark on extreme physical challenges, successfully competing in the Marathon Des Sables in April this year. This September, he will be the first Kier employee to take part in the COINS USA 3 Peaks Challenge, walking three mountains across New England in 24 hours. To date with Kier and COINS support and his own determination Mark has raised over £23,000.

Mark Starling commented,

Being part of these expeditions is a dream come. These opportunities have enabled me to raise awareness and much needed funds for my chosen charity the COINS Foundation. I have a positive commitment to doing the best for my charity, with a way of helping those less fortunate than us in the UK. I aim to take on further challenges, with my ultimate goal being to climb Mount Everest and continuing raising those much needed funds.

Larry Sullivan, chairman of COINS and the COINS Foundation met with Paul Sheffield, CEO of the Kier Group and Mark, to congratulate Mark on his success. Larry Sullivan was presented with a cheque for £3,000 from Kier to add to Mark's fundraising target. Discussion between the two leaders focused both on the COINS Kier business partnership and also how Kier can work with COINS to lead the social conscience of the construction industry.

Paul Sheffield commented,

"What COINS is setting out to achieve is unique and admirable. We are proud to be engaged.Our involvement with the COINS 3 Peaks Challenge event over the years, demonstrates the commitment of our staff and is great for team building. We want to engage in a way that sets us apart as employers and we are committed to remaining involved for many years to come. This is a refreshing way to engage in business with a valued key partner."