Pavers Foundation supports Lepra with £5,000 donation

York-based family owned-and-run shoe retailer Pavers’ charitable trust, The Pavers Foundation, has donated £5,000 to Lepra on behalf of Stuart Paver, MD. The Pavers Foundation was established in 2018 to share Pavers success with worthwhile causes up and down the UK and abroad.

Lepra is a favoured charity of Stuart Paver in particular, having donated to them through the Foundation on previous occasions. In 2019 Stuart made a donation which entirely funded the third mobile shoe van for Lepra,  allowing them to deliver custom-made shoes to help those affected by Leprosy and Lymphatic Filariasis.

Speaking about the donation, Stuart said; “We are sure our  small donation will help in the ongoing fight against Leprosy and other debilitating diseases in some of the poorest communities in the world. We also hope that some of our colleagues will take up a recent opportunity that has arisen, to take part in the next London Marathon in aid of Lepra!”.

Geoff Prescott, CEO of Lepra explains what the Foundation’s continued support means to the charity;

For many with leprosy or lymphatic filariasis, the support from the Pavers Foundation is the difference between a life of poverty and isolation or a life of mobility and independence. Leprosy is synonymous with discrimination and inequality. No one is subject to as much prejudice as people affected by leprosy. This prejudice is made worse by the life altering disabilities that can occur and people affected by leprosy can lose their independence as a result of being unable to walk and ultimately, therefore become unable to provide for themselves. Lepra’s partnership with Pavers provides comfortable, safe bespoke footwear for people with disabilities caused by leprosy and lymphatic filariasis. The shoe vans the Foundation funds enable Lepra to reach people in isolated, hard to reach areas where accessing medical treatment or skilled shoe technicians is extremely difficult. Pavers footwear really is life changing.

The Foundation is delighted to have donated over £43,000 to date to Lepra, to continue their amazing ongoing work and outreach with rural communities in Bangladesh, India, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The Pavers Foundation is dedicated to making a meaningful impact to every charity it supports. Each year the family business gives 2% of net profit, alongside the total profits from the sale of carrier bags in stores and returns from the Foundation endowment to the employee-led initiative. To date the Foundation has donated over £930,000 to good causes which tend to be associated with the core three pillars of their philanthropic strategy relating to health, education and the community.

The Foundation is looking forward to reaching its next milestone: £1m worth of charitable giving since its first donation in 2018.