Tideway’s charitable campaign aims to ‘Make a Difference’
Charities benefitting from a Tideway campaign that raised over £20,000 have thanked staff for volunteering over 600 hours and raising money that helped more than 950 people.
The ‘Make a Difference’ campaign sought to raise funds for Tideway’s charity partners and a variety of other important causes as charities saw their support streams affected by the pandemic, with fundraising events cancelled and a significant drop in donations.
Staff working on the super sewer took up the challenge and embarked on a range of fundraising and volunteering initiatives for almost 60 different organisations. You can read the full report here.
One of the charities to benefit was Endometriosis UK, where sponsored walks by two staff will pay for up to 23 helpline volunteers who will help an even larger number of women suffering from the condition. The charity said: “Please pass on our huge thanks and appreciation to Andeep and Ama for not only raising a fantastic amount of money but for also raising awareness within the workplace.
“We know how hard it can be to speak up about a subject that is often seen as taboo especially in such a male-dominated sector. We are finding that women with endometriosis need our support now more than ever as so many waiting lists for surgery are on hold.
“Your donations mean that we can continue to be there for those affected by endometriosis by providing support and reliable information as well as campaigning for change and raising further awareness.”
AJ McConville of Thames21 said: “It was so good to see a large number of Tideway people volunteering for our annual Thames River Watch (TRW) Big Count. Their support has been instrumental in the success of the TRW programme and our work is even more important now we are seeing a huge increase in Covid-19 related plastic waste on our precious foreshores.”
A dozen volunteers also supported 17- and 18-year-olds as part of a Virtual Careers Week, informing and inspiring young people into STEM careers.
Eighteen-year-old Phoebe Anderson, who met with Tideway staff during a Virtual Careers Week, said: “I just wanted to say the biggest thank you for the most incredible few days of work experience. It was so beneficial to hear the Tideway team’s journeys into the role as well as their day to day jobs”.
Tara Carty, from the charity Single Homeless Project, added: “It’s great to see and hear of the great things you all achieved and as always we are truly grateful for all your support throughout the year. We are proud to have you as a partner.”
Other beneficiaries of the campaign included:
- Drive Forward Foundation
- South London Cares
- Guide Dogs
- Macmillan Cancer Support
- Bounce Back
- Trinity Homeless Projects
- Urban Synergy
- London Youth Rowing
- Women’s Aid
- Diversity Role Models
- Project Zero
- AKT
- Daisy’s Dream
- The Lord Mayor’s City Giving Day
CEO Andy Mitchell highlighted its positive effects in monthly ‘all hands’ briefings, saying: “It’s fantastic to see so many of you coming together to do something good for the community.”
External Affairs Director Lucy Webster added: “Rather than accept that there was less we were able to do for our communities at the moment, the Corporate Responsibility team worked with teams across Tideway to create a concept which not only delivered major fundraising benefits for our charities but also engaged the Tideway team in a single endeavour, giving people a much-needed boost as we went into autumn.”