[W]orkers at the Sellafield site have handed over £75,000 worth of gifts, food and cash to charities as part of their Christmas campaign for 2017.
With the support of their supply chain colleague, the 10,000 strong workforce carried out various activities throughout December, for the below causes in Cumbria and Warrington;
Shoebox appeal for the elderly – 120 shoe boxes full of gifts were delivered to elderly care home residents at Castle Mount, Bethany House, Bethshan, Dentholme and Wyndam House.
North Lakes Foodbank – 800kg worth of tinned food will make up around 150 food packs for families in need throughout Copeland and Allerdale
CFM Cash4Kids ‘Mission Christmas’ – £6,365 cash donations and 52,217 worth of gifts will help 700 children in Cumbria. Courage the Cat’s visit to site brought in an extra £2,300.
Home Start, Warrington – Over 400 bedtime gifts contributed to 61 bedtime hampers for children with an additional cash donation of £323.44.
Room at the Inn, Warrington – Hundreds of tins and toiletries donated to Room at the Inn. An additional £323.44 cash was raised at Daresbury and an extra £335 came from Christmas Jumper day.
Families and Wellbeing toy appeal – Hundreds of gifts and pyjamas were donated for families supported by Warrington Borough Council’s Neighbourhood team.
Employees and supply chain colleagues have been directed to local shops to purchase gifts, toys and food, and asked to take an extra Christmas gift to work – meaning Cumbrian and Warrington businesses have also benefited from the appeal.
The CFM radio charity mascot, Courage the Cat, made his way around the nuclear site to carry out a mass collection of Christmas gifts for disabled and disadvantaged children throughout Cumbria.
Barbara Parratt, from the Families and Wellbeing Toy Appeal said: “For us, it’s not just a gift to help make a Christmas for the families we support, it’s part of us helping and working with a family to ensure they get the support in terms of debt and deprivation.”
Jamie Reed, Sellafield Ltd’s head of community and development said: “We are intrinsically linked to our communities. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’. When you donate toys for local children there is a good chance that they will end up in houses on your street. When you donate to a food bank it is likely that you have helped a friend of a friend to feed their families.
“We have the power to make a real difference to the lives of people in your community, during what can be a very stressful time of the year.
“It was great to watch the gifts come pouring in and the cash buckets filling up, which is a reflection of how compassionate and generous our workers and supply chain are.”
The campaign was managed by Sellafield Ltd and supported by supply chain companies like ARCO and Mitie, who also helped to transport and store the gifts.
Other supply chain partners who supported the campaign included Carillon, Kaefer, Doosan, Jacobs, ATOS, Morgan Sindall, Wood, PacTec, TSP Engineering, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Canon, Balfour Beatty, Franks Portlock, M+W Group, Hertel, National Nuclear Laboratory and Areva.
