Ideal Heating apprentices go the extra mile to inspire young people

We’re celebrating a major milestone in our commitment to inspiring the next generation, thanks to the outstanding fundraising efforts of four of our apprentices.

Ideal Heating has become a Bronze Partner of Hull and East Yorkshire (HEY) Children’s University and we marked the achievement with a special business experience day at our headquarters in Hull.

It involved 30 Year Five pupils from Alderman Cogan Primary in Hull enjoying an action-packed day of activities designed to showcase exciting future career opportunities available in their city.

HEY Children’s University is a charity which aims to build the confidence, self-esteem and aspirations of young people by providing them with a diverse range of experiences outside the classroom, working particularly with children from disadvantaged areas of Hull and East Yorkshire.

Our four engineering services apprentices – Lewis Speedy, Aaron Snell, Samuel Hatch and Alistair Swyer – took on the challenge of raising the £2,000 needed to secure Bronze Partnership status.

Each apprentice ran 50 kilometers over the course of just one week, totaling an impressive 200 kilometers between them, and raising £1,185 through sponsorship by colleagues. Combined with funds already raised by Ideal Heating, this achievement unlocked the Bronze Partnership and funding for additional experience days.

Apprentice Lewis Speedy said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have achieved Bronze Partnership status with HEY Children’s University. It means so much to us to be able to give back to our local community and help inspire young people in Hull.

“The 200km run was definitely a challenge – especially for those of us who weren’t runners before we started. But knowing we were doing it to help provide opportunities for local children kept us going.

“The support from our colleagues across Ideal Heating was incredible, and we’re so grateful for their generosity in sponsoring us.”

During the visit, pupils from Alderman Cogan Primary were treated to a comprehensive tour of our manufacturing operations, followed by presentations about the variety of career opportunities available in the business.

The afternoon featured hands-on activities including building electrical circuits, laser engraving workshops, and taking part in the Net Zero Challenge – an interactive sustainability game focused on how young people can help make their homes more environmentally friendly.

The day’s activities were led by the apprentices, who shared their own journeys into the world of work and demonstrated that highly-skilled, rewarding careers are both realistic and achievable.

Our Engineering Director Helen Villamuera said: “We’re incredibly proud of our apprentices for their dedication to this cause. Their fundraising achievement demonstrates the passion and commitment they bring not just to their work, but to supporting their local community too.

“We’re delighted to become a Bronze Partner of HEY Children’s University and help inspire young children in our area. It’s important for young people to see that there are diverse future career opportunities available at companies like Ideal Heating – from manufacturing and engineering to research and development, marketing, HR and administration.

“The children who visited were so engaged and asked such thoughtful questions. It would be fantastic to see some of these young people return to work with us in the future.”

Sarah Brodie, Partnerships Manager at HEY Children’s University, said: “HEY Children’s University provides learning experiences to primary schoolchildren which raise aspirations, improve confidence and increase engagement.

“The business experience day at Ideal Heating showcased to the children a wide range of career opportunities and pathways through hands-on activities and real-world scenarios.

“The impact this day will have on the children would be impossible to achieve by staying in the classroom. Being inside a real workplace and meeting such inspiring role models can be transformative for some of these children.”

The Bronze Partnership will enable HEY Children's University to provide additional experience days for young people across the city, making a real difference in opening doors to new experiences and opportunities for those who need them most.