20 October 2026 Loch Lomond to Glasgow: the run that inspired Robbie Dixon to volunteer
Robbie Dixon, Software Development Engineer in Test at data and AI company SAS, has long been a supporter of charitable causes. The Talent Foundry (TTF) is SAS UK & Ireland’s nominated charity, so joining SAS last year brought TTF into Robbie’s network. With his sights set on fostering social mobility, he turned his passion for long-distance running into a fundraising challenge for colleagues.
A Teams message rallying support breathed life into what started out as just an idea, and Robbie and his colleagues picked a 34km linear run from Loch Lomond to Glasgow. Recovering from a broken ankle, Robbie knew the run wouldn’t be easy. Training was off the cards, and on the start line his only aim was to finish in one piece.
The challenge doubled as a volunteering day, giving colleagues the opportunity to come together and strengthen connections across the business. Robbie’s motivation staying strong throughout:
Everyone deserves the chance for a bright future, regardless of circumstance. Where you’re born or how much money your family has should not limit where your life can go.
Paying forward the support he received
With a foot already in the door and a run on the cards, Robbie decided to get more involved with TTF and signed up to volunteer on our Future Analysts programme.
It was a tiny idea that just snowballed into me being heavily involved with The Talent Foundry. I’m always spreading the message and trying to ring the bell for the charity.
Robbie has had his fair share of challenges and found breaking into the world of technology difficult at first. When he started off in tech, he didn’t know how to code and learned on the job. The support he received made all the difference, and he’s now trying to pay it forward.
He believes that supporting the next generation helps everyone to succeed in their careers and has seen first-hand how much it means to young people when volunteers take the time to support them.
Helping young people is circular: the more everyone helps each other, the more it lifts the standard for everyone.
Opening doors for young people
For Robbie, volunteering is about building a better community. He also enjoys getting the chance to connect with SAS colleagues through volunteering sessions.
You have to be the change you wish to see. If you want more skilled young people, you need to go and inspire people to get skilled.
Robbie was astounded by the skills and dedication that the young people he met had, with students learning to code eagerly. He recognised their potential and was on hand to support them through the programme’s activities, making sure that they felt seen and heard.
Robbie plans to continue advocating for our vision and wants to bring the run back bigger and better next year, as a chance to bring colleagues together and keep people fit. Helping young people to access opportunities they would not otherwise have had makes it worth it – despite the sore legs!
Robbie believes that building a fairer future and a stronger community starts with opening up access to the sector:
The more people that get opportunities to come into this industry, the stronger it will be, with more thought leadership, events, funding and jobs. There are lots of benefits from improving the tech community.
A message to colleagues
To colleagues considering volunteering or raising money for TTF, Robbie would say:
If you’re on the fence, just do it. You don’t need any particular skills or expertise to volunteer. Everyone’s at different stages of their career and can help the students out in different ways.
Volunteering is rewarding, offering employees a tangible opportunity to have an impact. If you want to get involved, get in touch with our team.