Fundraising target exceeded: € 106,000

Oct. 2021

Lakes Challenge
Forty PATRIZIA employees from the UK and other offices hiked almost 50km over two days in September. The challenge: 24 summits and a total ascent of 3000 metres, plus the ambitious goal of raising €100,000 for PATRIZIA School Buyamba in Uganda.
YouTube

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more

Load video

A success on two fronts

The donations from the Lakes Challenge will help the school pay for urgently needed renovations. The plan (among other things) is to build a rainwater collection system, set up two additional outdoor classrooms and carry out repairs to the classrooms, dormitories and plumbing systems. This will also ensure that over 800 pupils at the school can continue to enjoy access to their education.

The challenge event was organised by Nora Cooling, Alexandra Pankasz and Dianne Meyer, who work at PATRIZIA in the UK. They were supported by Martha Hochhuber and Joni Sekula from PATRIZIA in Augsburg. As well as motivating colleagues from a handful of other company sites to take part in the strenuous challenge, they also encouraged everyone to pull together and go for the fundraising goal. And they did it.  

“Fundraising for the PATRIZIA
Foundation is the cherry
on the cake. That’s what
motivates me.”

Johannes Haug

“Hearing this morning that apparently we’ve topped our fundraising target of 100k makes it all feel worth it.”

Joni Sekula Davis

“We never normally get together in this kind of constellation, and you get to see people again that you haven’t seen for quite a while due to Covid.”

Christoph Liedtke

High goals and a double challenge

The hike was nothing for the faint-hearted, leading the intrepid walkers straight through the Lake District National Park from High Pike fell in the north to Hart Crag in the east – an overall ascent of 3000 metres. Apart from the breathtaking scenery that greeted the walkers at every summit, it was also a wonderful experience when it comes to team-building: “We never normally get together in this kind of constellation, and you get to see people again that you haven’t seen for quite a while due to Covid,” says Christoph Liedtke from Augsburg. His colleague, Franziska Weis, adds: “It’s 24 peaks, so for every peak you can spend time with someone else to walk with and have really nice conversations.”

Of course they never lost sight of the good cause they were walking for: “The most important thing is the children and their future. We at PATRIZIA build sustainable communities, and as part of that we have a huge responsibility to ensure children have a bright future ahead of them,” summarises Amparo Zarca from London.

In addition to the 40 PATRIZIAns at the event, there were also three walkers from the main sponsor, Saltgate, who have been a long-standing supporter of the PATRIZIA Foundation as a member of the Sponsor Circle.

Thanks go to all sponsors

Saltgate, Zehntausendgrad, Lang Finanzsoftware, Schwaba GmbH, Wolters Kluwer, MünchenerHyp.

Lakes Challenge

Main sponsor

Sponsors and supporters

Berlin Hyp_Logo

More Posts

A Musical Programme with Lasting Impact

Young musicians from the MiSST programme welcomed guest with an opening performance.

Throughout the evening, the students further captivated guests with their performances, including Adoration by Florence Price and selected pieces from The Phantom of the Opera.  

An Evening of Shared Vision and Personal Stories

In his welcoming speech, founder Wolfgang Egger talked about the importance of investing in young people and creating opportunities that allow them to thrive — academically, personally and socially. Ambassador Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber delivered a passionate speech on the importance of protecting arts education in the UK, particularly at a time when music and creative subjects continue to face significant cuts within the school system. He spoke movingly about the responsibility to ensure that every child, regardless of background, has access to creativity, culture and music education.

Chairwoman of the Board Astrid Gabler, together with Board Member James Muir, reflected on their recent visit to one of the programme’s partner schools. James shared how deeply a passionate music teacher had influenced him during his own school years and how this experience continues to shape his belief in the importance of the support in education infrastructure. 

Rachel Landon, CEO MiSST, brought the programme vividly to life through inspiring footage and powerful stories from participating students, offering guests a meaningful glimpse into the daily impact of the initiative.

 

One of the evening’s most memorable moments came from Rain Spiegel-Johnson, a former participant of the programme, who shared her personal story and reflected on the impact music education has had on her life. Growing up in a low-income household, opportunities to take part in extracurricular arts education were often out of reach, leaving her feeling excluded from experiences many others could access. Through MiSST, however, she discovered a creativity and confidence that had long remained hidden.

Speaking about her experience, she described music not only as a form of artistic expression, but also as a powerful sense of belonging:

“Through music, I discovered not only artistry, but the profound feeling of being part of an ensemble so unified, disciplined and unwaveringly beautiful.”

She also emphasized the broader importance of the programme, calling MiSST “an outstanding microcosm for the future of music and the arts in this country.”

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who joined us and our Ambassador, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, for the “Thrive Cubed with Music” evening in support of music education in the UK — and for your shared commitment to creating new opportunities for young people through the power of music!

PATRIZIA Music Programme

With the PATRIZIA Music Programme, the PATRIZIA Foundation continues its commitment to educational support and equal opportunities across Europe. The programme was established to provide children and young people from disadvantaged communities in the United Kingdom with access to high-quality music education and to open new pathways for their personal and academic development. In partnership with MiSST, the programme supports schools in Morecambe and Manchester by providing classical musical instruments, professional music tuition and regular performance opportunities. Over the course of three years, the PATRIZIA Foundation is funding 300 instruments, creating long-term access to cultural education and helping young people build brighter futures through the transformative power of music.

PATRIZIA Music Programme