Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2012 scheduled for Saturday, 2 June at Gardens by the Bay East, Tanjong Rhu
SINGAPORE, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- 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, 2 June at Gardens by the Bay East, Tanjong Rhu.
Building on the huge success of last year's event which saw over 4,000 participants take part and over S$130,000 raised for Habitat for Humanity Singapore, the organisers hope to attract more than 5,000 pairs of bare feet for Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2012.
Participants in the barefoot walk will help raise funds for local and overseas beneficiaries while the event will also assist in raising awareness for Habitat for Humanity projects that build homes and fight poverty for the less fortunate across the Asia Pacific region.
"We were absolutely thrilled with the response to last year's event. To attract over 4,000 participants in just the second year of our partnership with Barclays was a fantastic achievement but we want to increase that number even further in 2012," said Yong Teck Meng, National Director, Habitat for Humanity Singapore.
Mr. Yong added, "The funds raised during Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole enable our volunteers to carry out their remarkable work both in Singapore and across the region. We're aiming for 5,000 participants this year and we're certainly looking to further grow the event in years to come."
As well as special projects here in Singapore, Habitat for Humanity Singapore volunteers have also carried out work in places such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam amongst others.
Barclays has sponsored the event since 2011 and 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.
"The relationship that Barclays has with Habitat for Humanity Singapore is very strong and Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole has quickly grown into an event that both organisations can be particularly proud of," said Quek Suan Kiat, Country Manager for Barclays in Singapore.
Mr. Quek added, "The barefoot walk is a great opportunity for those based in Singapore to be part of what is a very worthwhile cause. Last year's event was an outstanding success and we'd certainly encourage as many people as possible to get involved in 2012. It's a perfect event for the entire family and the route also offers the unique chance to stroll through the picturesque Gardens by the Bay."
Online registration for Habitat-Barclays Bare Your Sole 2012 opens today on www.bareyoursole.org.sg and the website contains all the necessary information for the event on Saturday, 2 June.
The event website also allows participants to raise their own additional funds, while a number of exciting charity auction items will go live on the site in May.
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity International is a non-profit Christian housing organisation with a mission to eliminate poverty housing worldwide by building simple, decent houses. We 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 Barclays website www.barclays.com.
For more information, please contact:
Ben Burrowes
Cohn&Wolfe XPR
+65 8111 9311
ben@xpr.com.sg
Sadaf Salim
Cohn&Wolfe XPR
+65 9786 0817
sadaf@xpr.com.sg
