KPMG money makers take the plunge at Canary Wharf to abseil for charity

Money markers in Canary Wharf were throwing themselves off a skyscraper high above the business district.

But it wasn’t a repeat of the 1929 Wall Street crash or fears about another recession on the way.

Staff at KPMG financial services consultants were taking the plunge in an abseil to make £45,000 for Action for Literacy and Shelter charities.

They bravely tackled the 230ft drop from the roof of their Canada Square headquarters—including the company’s UK Head of charity partnerships, Mona Bitar.

“I probably failed to realise just how terrifying going over the top of a 15-storey building would be when we signed up for this challenge,” she admitted.

“But we’ve raised money to help the charities with their work in improving literacy and preventing homelessness.”

The firm is aiming to raise £1 million to help tackle the one-in-six people in Britain struggling to read and write who are being excluded from society, and help reduce the 40,000 homeless families living in temporary housing which affects children’s health and education.

Many KPMG staff volunteer as reading or numbers partners in primary schools as part of Action for Literacy’s programme, while the firm is also a joint sponsor of the City Academy in Homerton.

Their charity partnership with Shelter means its housing advisers can reach another 6,900 people in housing need.