Willmott Dixon Partnerships’ apprentices from across Birmingham have taken a big step towards helping a UK charity deliver skills to West Africa.

The team completed a sponsored mile walk around Canon Hill Park, Edgbaston, to raise money for Dekamile and help the charity build a new skills academy in a village in Togo, West Africa.

Nine apprentices from the repairs and maintenance company’s Birmingham branches were joined by Willmott Dixon’s National Training Manager Sharon Ayles, and Customer and Community Officers Melanie Checkley and Jenny Jones, raising £1,400. The walk was one of six events held across the UK by Willmott Dixon’s force of apprentices, as part of a company-wide challenge to raise £12,000 this year to go towards building the academy.

The academy will be based on the model of Willmott Dixon’s 4Life Academy in Aston, Birmingham. It will provide members of the Togo community with construction skills and trade knowledge, to help support themselves for generations to come.

Willmott Dixon’s Customer and Community Officer, Melanie Checkley, said: “We’re very proud of our apprentices for working together to help raise as much money as possible for Dekamile. Their fundraising effort towards building a new academy in Togo just shows what great ambassadors they are for the construction industry.”

Rod Unger is the founder of Dekamile. He said: “We’re really grateful for Willmott Dixon’s ongoing support for our charity appeal. The apprentice’s donation and support to build a new academy is tremendous in helping us to achieve our aims.”

Willmott Dixon Partnerships Managing Director, Mick Williamson added: “We were initially inspired to offer our support to Dekamile because every penny raised goes directly to the village, and the charity’s aims to leave lasting legacies are in line with our own practice in the UK. This new academy will enable us to reach communities much further afield and spread our ‘Skills 4 Life’ ethos to Agome-sevah in Togo. Our apprentices are at the centre of what we are hoping to achieve with this project. We are aiming to equip the villagers with skills and knowledge to fully support themselves.”

Dekamile aims to improve the community facilities in Agome-sevah – a remote village alongside the river Mono on the border between Togo and Benin.