Mike Brown, Chief Operating Officer, BAA Heathrow (seated left), with Age Concern, Help the Aged and BAA staff.
BAA Heathrow launches 'Connecting Communities' - support for Age Concern and Help the Aged programmes.
BAA Heathrow staff have chosen Age Concern and Help the Aged to be its Charity of the Year for 2009.
The campaign, called 'Connecting Communities', aims to raise £200,000 for Age Concern and Help the Aged through staff fund-raising events, passenger collections and promotions. The money raised will go towards vital local community programmes such as their volunteer befriending services in the Hounslow area.
Mike Brown, BAA Heathrow's Chief Operating Officer, said “I am delighted to launch BAA Heathrow's support for Age Concern and Help the Aged in 2009. Everyone at Heathrow will be trying very hard to raise vital funds for this worthy cause over the next year, whilst having fun at the same time."
He added, “It's a great opportunity for staff at Heathrow to come together and help support a key project in the local community”.
Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern, said: “We're thrilled to be working with BAA Heathrow in 2009, and we're confident we’ll surpass the £200,000 target through the generosity of the airport's passengers and staff.”
Amanda Ball, Help the Aged Director of Fundraising, said: “We are very pleased that BAA Heathrow has chosen Age Concern and Help the Aged to be its charity partners this year. With the support of BAA, we will be able to help make a real difference to the lives of older people in the local area.”
Age Concern and Help the Aged were selected as Heathrow's charity of the year by BAA Heathrow's 5,000 staff. The initiative is a key part of BAA's community relations programme.
The partnership will run for the whole of 2009. BAA Heathrow's first Charity of the Year was Marie Curie Cancer Care in 2008, when staff and passengers smashed the original target of £100,000, raising £240,000.
Further information about Age Concern can be found at www.ageconcern.org and Help the Aged at www.helptheaged.org.uk.
