A charity initiative created by a major York employer has donated more than £2million to good causes.

The Pavers Foundation was launched by footwear retailer Pavers in 2018 and since then, has made hundreds of separate donations.

The foundation is an employee led initiative and those across the entire business are encouraged to nominate good causes in their local areas. 

Those to benefit include: food banks, grassroots sports clubs, voluntary organisations, care centres, ventures in disadvantaged communities, health research centres and playgroups.

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They all fall into the Foundation’s key pillars of health, education, and community.

Mark Granger, who has chaired the foundation for the past three years, said: “We are proud that in less than 5 years, we have managed to reach the fantastic milestone of granting over £2m to causes close to the hearts of our colleagues. It is a privilege to work for a family business that gives back to colleagues.”

This month, Stuart Paver, son of Pavers’ founder, Cathy, assumes the role as chairman of the foundation.

Stuart has been instrumental over the past few years in donating over £400,000 of medical and emergency aid to Ukraine, making a number of trips to affected regions to personally deliver supplies and support those affected by the conflict.

He said: “The Foundation is one of the strategic pillars of our business and allows us to give back to the communities in which we work. So many of our colleagues are passionate about local charities and our donations allow them to make a difference to causes close to their hearts.

"I am looking forward to taking over chairmanship of the foundation and continuing the great work of Mark and the team in ensuring we continue to make a difference with every pair of Pavers shoes sold.”

The Pavers Foundation says it is immensely proud to have reached this significant milestone, owing to the generosity of donors, dedication of fundraisers in Pavers stores and the commitment of the business to donate a percentage of net profits each year to sustain these charitable efforts.

To find out more about the Pavers Foundation, please visit www.pavers.co.uk/foundation.