Charity Walk: The story of Beefy and the chocolate factory

William is in training to join sporting legend and champion fund-raiser Sir Ian Botham on his annual 200-mile Forget-Me-Knot walk, which next month will pass through 10 cities on consecutive days.

William is one of just 10 non-family members to join the Bothams on their 25th walk, which aims to raise 1m for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, although they will be joined by hundreds of people along the way.

"I joined Sir Ian Botham on one of the legs last year and decided then that it would be a great way to achieve our target of raising 100,000 for Leukaemia Research," says William, managing director of Skipton's Whitakers Chocolates.

Whitakers became involved with fund-raising for Leukaemia Research in 2007 when they joined forces with the Calendar Girls, to produce some special fund-raising chocolates.

"We contacted Terry Logan, who photographed the Calendar Girls, who are also from Skipton, and said that we would give 20p from every box sold to Leukaemia Research," explains

William

Since the launch, in 2007, Whitakers have sold 340,000 boxes of the special Calendar Girls chocolates, raising an impressive 70,000 for their chosen charity. A new box, to be launched after Easter with images from the girls' new calendar, is set to raise more.

But Whitakers pledged to raise 100,000, which left William looking for an extra 30,000 to fulfil the company's promise.

"It is the 10th anniversary of the Calendar Girls, the 50th anniversary of Leukaemia Research and the 25th anniversary of Sir Ian Botham's Forget-Me-Knot walks, so it seemed the perfect opportunity to get involved and raise the rest of the money."

William's brother, James, is a cricketer and knew Sir Ian, and so the relationship was sealed in 2008 when "Beefy" visited the chocolate factory, in Skipton.

Whitakers itself is a family business dating back to 1889. It employs 140 people and produces nearly two million chocolates a day.

The number of chocolates made at the Skipton factory grew this month when the company landed a deal to make 300,000 chocolates a day for the Bristol-based confectioner Elizabeth Shaw.

The 2m-a-year deal could not have come at a better time for Whitakers who had been hit by the rocketing cost of cocoa and the recession, which has affected one their biggest clients, the restaurant and hotel trade.

They supply Neopolitans to restaurants and retailers throughout the UK, personalising them with the restaurant's own branding.

"It has been a very difficult time," says William, whose father, John, is still chairman of the company.

"But this deal is really good news and has allowed us to recruit an extra 25 staff."

William, a fourth-generation chocolatier, never considered pursuing any other career.

"It was great growing up and telling people that my dad owned a chocolate factory," he recalls.

He showed his retail skills at a early age, selling mis-shapes to the other pupils at school.

"I never wanted to do anything else," he says.

History, heritage and family are very important to Whitakers. Old photographs adorn the walls of the factory, and their own-brand chocolate boxes have sepia photos of the company's founders. You can't help but think about the contrast with American giant Kraft's takeover of Cadburys.

William is realistic about the takeover. "If it was any other commodity, I don't think people would be so passionate about it. But there is something about chocolate that seems to evoke a response in people."

On the day I visited the Skipton factory, one of William's sons was working there during a break from university.

Though William would be happy for either boy to follow in his footsteps, he is also keen for them to pursue other interests.

When not thinking about chocolate, William is up on the moors in training for his fund-raising efforts.

For more information on Sir Ian Botham's Forget-Me-Knot walk, visit www. beefy25.com. To sponsor William, visit http://original. justgiving.com/whitakerschocolates