STAFF at a Stourbridge building society will be going the distance on Thursday (May 25) in support of its charity partnership with End Youth Homelessness.

Joining colleagues across the UK, staff at the High Street branch of Yorkshire Building Society will cycle, row, run and walk to raise funds for the national cause, which brings together local charities in a movement to end homelessness among 16 to 25-year-olds.

According to latest figures, 233 young people across the borough received some homelessness support from Dudley Council in 2015/16.

Adam Keeley, manager of the Stourbridge branch, said: “We are going to be getting a move on in branch on a static bike in support of our partnership with End Youth Homelessness and hope our customers and members of the public in Stourbridge dig deep to help us go that extra mile.

“We will be raising funds for rent deposit guarantees, home essentials grants, and practical help for homeless young people seeking to live independently.

“Over the course of the partnership we have set ourselves the challenge as a society to cover a distance of 83,000km, which is over twice the circumference of the Earth, to reflect the 83,000 young people that are homeless in the UK each year.”

Yorkshire Building Society aims to raise £750,000 to support more than 700 homeless young people into their own rented homes.

Rosie Mellor, partnership manager for End Youth Homelessness, said: “Yorkshire Building Society colleagues are really stepping up with this fantastic fundraising challenge which helps to raise awareness of the shockingly high number of homeless young people in the UK.”