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04/06/2008
Water workers are in pole position after winning a charity race and raising nearly £2,000 for a local life-saving charity.
Sixteen Northumbrian Water employees and four contractors working on behalf of the water company got behind the wheel at Karting North East’s Endurance Race charity event at Warden Law Motorsports Centre in Sunderland, to raise vital funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service.
Northumbrian Water racers made up five of the 13 karting teams taking part in the race, securing £1,200 worth of sponsorship through ‘Cheque it Out’, the water company’s employee sponsorship fund. ‘Cheque it Out’ allows employees of Northumbrian Water to apply for additional sponsorship to help a fundraising activity they are involved with.
Mandy Drake, fundraising manager for the Great North Air Ambulance Service, said: “We’re thrilled with the amount raised by Northumbrian Water employees. The Great North Air Ambulance Service receives no government or National Lottery funding and is totally reliant on donations to keep this vital service flying every day.”
Trevor King of Newton Hall, Durham, a maintenance technician based at Northumbrian Water’s treatment works in Washington, Tyne and Wear, was part of the winning team. Trevor said: “The event was a fun way of bringing together colleagues from all areas of the business, whilst raising much-needed money for a worthwhile cause at the same time.”
Aleck Bruce from Darlington, who works as a water quality scientist at Northumbrian Water’s treatment works in Washington, Tyne and Wear also took part in the race and said: “We applied to ‘Cheque It Out’, our employee sponsorship fund and were delighted when Northumbrian Water agreed to contribute £250 in sponsorship for each full team taking part. This was a fantastic boost to our fundraising efforts.”
The event was organised by Karting North East in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance Service, with 13 teams in total racing on a fleet of 390cc Thunder Karts, capable of over 60mph. The two hour endurance race took place on a 1200 metre British Championship Circuit, with driver changes every 15 minutes.
This latest donation brings the total amount Northumbrian Water employees have raised for the Great North Air Ambulance Service since April 2006 to more than £19,500. More than £17,000 worth of funds have been raised through the water company’s Care for Safety Challenge, where a donation to charity is triggered every time an employee proactively improves the health and safety of their working environment.
The Great North Air Ambulance Service operates a fleet of three aircraft across the North East of England, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. It costs £1.2m a year to operate one helicopter.
For more information contact Leanne Clough on 0191 301 6733.