Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2013 Scheduled For Saturday, 1 June at Gardens by the Bay East, Tanjong Rhu
SINGAPORE, March 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity and Barclays, event owner and title sponsor respectively of Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole, today opened registration for this year's 2.5/5km barefoot walk which is set to take place on Saturday, 1 June at Gardens by the Bay East, Tanjong Rhu.
This year is the fifth annual Bare Your Sole barefoot walk with Habitat for Humanity and Barclays hoping to build on the huge success of the previous years and attract even more participants, be they individuals, families, groups of friends, clubs, associations, or corporates. Last year's event saw 5,000 participants take part, with over S$300,000 raised for Habitat for Humanity Singapore. The organisers hope to see more than 5,000 pairs of bare feet for Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2013.
Participants in this year's barefoot walk will help raise funds for Habitat for Humanity Singapore's 'Project Homeworks'. The project was conceived to improve the living conditions of Singapore's elderly, sick and physically-challenged citizens living in one-room flats all over the island. In Singapore, as many as 35,000 people are living alone in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Being elderly, sick or handicapped, these people are unable to clean their homes effectively.
Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2013 will help raise funds for these local beneficiaries and increase awareness for the project. Through 'Project Homeworks', volunteers are mobilised to help clean-up these homes and in turn, improve the lives of many Singaporeans.
"We were absolutely thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with Barclays and we hope that 2013 will be the most successful event yet," said Yong Teck Meng, National Director, Habitat for Humanity Singapore. "This year, we are focusing on our own 'backyard' with the funds raised during Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2013 used to support the thousands of elderly, sick and physically-challenged Singaporeans who have been neglected."
Barclays has been the title sponsor for the event since 2010, their support helping to double the amount of participants and attract more donations over the past few years. The partnership is a further extension of its global partnership with Habitat for Humanity, a productive relationship between the two organisations which began in 2008.
"Barclays appreciate the relationship that it has with Habitat for Humanity Singapore and we are delighted to continue to work with them on this and other projects that support the local community and uphold the values that we stand by. The Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole event has really developed over the past few years into an occasion that both organisations are particularly proud of," said Quek Suan Kiat, Country Manager for Barclays in Singapore.
Mr Quek adds, "The barefoot walk is a unique opportunity for people in Singapore to play a significant role in helping Singaporeans who are in need, and at the same time enjoy a barefoot walk around the beautiful Gardens by the Bay. We would like to encourage as many people as possible to participate in this year's walk, whether individually, with families, friends, colleagues, associations, or clubs."
Online registration for Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2013 opens today on www.bareyoursole.org.sg and the website contains all the necessary information for the event on Saturday, 1 June. The event website also allows participants to pledge a donation online.
For more information about supporting events, behind-the-scenes information about 'Project Homeworks', as well as competitions leading up to event, please visit the Habitat-Barclays Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BareYourSoleSG
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit Christian housing organisation with a mission to eliminate poverty housing worldwide by building simple, decent houses. Habitat build for people of all backgrounds, races and religions to provide needy families with a simple and decent place to live in.
About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com.
For more information, please contact:
Michael Burns
Cohn & Wolfe XPR
+65-9724-9132
michael.burns@cohnwolfexpr.com
Abigail Ng
Cohn & Wolfe XPR
+65-9093-3787
abigail.ng@cohnwolfexpr.com
