Portsmouth colleagues take on Spinnaker Tower abseil for FareShare

Emma Woods and Tawana Nyakunuwa, customer consultants at the Portsmouth branch of Yorkshire Building Society are hoping to raise more than £550 by taking on the 100-meter abseil down Spinnaker Tower. The money raised will go towards a £1million fundraising drive to fund FareShare’s Building Skills for the Future programme, which will support, equip and prepare over 2,500 people for employment.

FareShare is the UK’s leading food redistribution charity. The charity redistributes quality surplus food from the food industry - that would otherwise go to waste - to over 8,000 local charities across the UK, including lunch clubs for older people, community kitchens, breakfast and after school clubs, domestic violence refuges, and homeless shelters. Alongside providing food, these organisations bring people together, reduce isolation, promote psychological and physical wellbeing, and enhance employability, helping give people the skills and connections they need to thrive.

Yorkshire Building Society has partnered with FareShare until June 2026 to fund the employability programme that aims to help lift people out of financial hardship.

Emma Woods, customer consultant at Yorkshire Building Society said: “We’re both excited and a little nervous about the abseil, but knowing it’s for such a great cause makes it all worthwhile. We’d like to thank everyone who has supported us so far—your generosity will go a long way in helping FareShare change lives.”

Tawana Nyakunuwa added: “I’d like to thank everyone that has sponsored us so far as their generosity will help support FareShare’s Building Skills for the Future programme, which will, in turn, have a huge impact on its participants’ lives.”

Gareth Batty, Director of Network at FareShare said: “Our employability programmes support people who may be vulnerable into good, sustainable work, addressing one of the root causes of poverty. The services offered help individuals maximise their strengths, overcome barriers to employment and take advantage of opportunities that can transform lives.

“These opportunities will be instrumental not only in improving outcomes for individuals, but also in helping FareShare get more good-to-eat surplus food to people. Our partnership with Yorkshire Building Society is making a vital contribution to our employability programme and will help thousands of people seek long-term employment.”

The partnership between Yorkshire Building Society and FareShare is funding the Building Skills for the Future programme - a unique employability programme facilitated by FareShare’s network partners at locations across the UK, including Yorkshire, Merseyside, London, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh, and Cardiff. The programme is designed to support, equip, and prepare people for employment through work experience, qualifications, and CV and interview skills workshops.

In addition, the partnership funds an outreach programme offering free, face-to-face sessions and workshops helping participants overcome financial hardship by supporting the building of important skills such as CV writing, job searching and improving financial wellbeing. It is hoped that the two programmes will help 2,500 people improve their employability and help them become more financially resilient.

For more information on the partnership between Yorkshire Building Society and FareShare please visit www.ybs.co.uk/FareShare or to sponsor Emma and Tawana, click here.