THAILAND. The Edrington team is back and poised to embark on another EPIC journey. That’s the message from the prominent international spirits company as members of its Asia management team set off on a major fundraising effort for a regional charity for the fifth consecutive year.
Between 18 and 21 November, the Edrington Philanthropists in Cycling (EPIC) group will tackle a 600km ride in the Chiang Mai province of Northern Thailand to raise money for the Baan Dek foundation.
As part of The Moodie Davitt Report’s Duty Calls series, which highlights the importance of our industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, we’ll be checking in daily with the Edrington team and sharing their progress with you via words, images, video and social media.
Edrington welcomes support from the travel retail industry and will ‘double match’ any funds contributed by the trade. The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to get the ball (and the wheels) rolling with a donaton of US$1,000.
Watch out for updates as we follow the team on its amazing ride for Baan Dek.
Further information can be found on the Edrington Charity Cyclists website, Facebook page (Edrington Charity Cyclists) and on Instagram (@edringtoncharitycyclists). Donations can be made here.
Baan Dek works with vulnerable children and families from migrant communities to ensure they have access to healthcare, education and live in a safe environment. All donations are spent on projects in Thailand, with over 1,000 children supported every year. The foundation’s website points out that decades of economic growth in some regions of the country have struggled to include marginalised children and families. “Children who grow up in slums or other disadvantaged communities are especially vulnerable to risks such as neglect, abuse and exploitation, and their basic childhood development needs often go unmet,” it says.
The Baan Dek Foundation partnered with UNICEF in Building New Futures in Thailand, which highlights the plight of children growing up in construction site camps. The foundation estimates that there are over 60,000 children in sites in Thailand. Been Dek is also supported by the Kids Home Development Network. |
Edrington’s principal shareholder is The Robertson Trust, Scotland’s largest independent funder of charitable causes. Dividends from Edrington have enabled the trust to donate more than £260 million (US$334 million) to selected charities throughout Scotland since 1961. Since 2012, Edrington has donated over £9.7 million (US$12.4 million) to international charities through its fundraising efforts.
“In Asia, thanks to the generous support of Edrington and its many friends, our annual regional fundraising initiatives have continued to grow from strength to strength, with the EPIC cycling events acting as a powerful conduit to fundraise for a number of inspiring causes,” Edrington said.
“Through EPIC, Edrington will attempt to raise yet another jaw-dropping amount of money that will help Baan Dek take the next step towards delivering on its ten-year strategy of achieving sector-wide impact.”
Last year, the EPIC riders cycled from Nha Trang to Danang and raised US$750,000 for Newborn Vietnam. The charity’s goal is to reduce neonatal mortality by working with local hospitals to train health care professionals and improve medical infrastructure.
In 2017, 50 riders from Edrington offices across the world cycled 600km across Cambodia to raise US$500,000 for M’Lop Tapang, a local charity based in Sihanoukville which supports vulnerable children.
In 2016, Edrington’s charity cyclists raced through Taiwan and raised NTD5 million (US$164,000) for the Kaohsiung Autism Foundation, which aids children with special needs. In 2015, 17 cyclists rode 400km from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and raised S$120,000 (US$88,000) for Child at Street 11, a Singapore-based institution helping dysfunctional families break out of the poverty cycle.
