Shoreline charity boost keeps them flying

Published by Shoreline for Shoreline Housing Partnership in Communities and also in Housing

A dedicated medical air service received a major boost from Shoreline Housing Partnership and Mears employees when they donated over £5800 to Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance.

Based at RAF Waddington, south of Lincoln, the charity was chosen by Shoreline and Mears employees as their charity of the year as they felt the local charity provides an important and sometimes vital additional patient care service for critically ill and injured patients.

Unaffected by road congestion, country roads, heavy vehicles or road works the dedicated service provides helicopters that can reach any destination in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire in 19 minutes, all reliant upon charitable support.

Employees organised a series of fun events over the past year including fish and chip quiz suppers, a night at the dogs, bake a cake days, a sponsored walk, book exchange, name cards, ‘wear your football shirt to work’ days and a hugely successful Fifth Anniversary Ball.

In just over five years Shoreline employees have raised nearly £30,000 for a series of local charities including the funding of a specialist room at Grimsby’s Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital.

Shoreline employee Ann Maggs, who has helped organise events throughout the year, said: “In five years we’ve been able to support many worthwhile local charities that provide really important services to individuals across the area each and every day.

 “We’re relatively small in terms of the number of employees we have, so it is even more remarkable that we have managed to raise nearly £30,000 in five years.

“Fundraising clearly captures the imagination of our employees and they are always thinking up new ways of raising funds. It also shows how much support we have and we would like to thank all our employees, their family and friends, as well as our partnering agencies for providing such valuable and generous help.”

Air Ambulance fundraiser Vivienne Chambers said: "The charity is absolutely thrilled to receive this donation.  Although we have weathered the economic down turn quite well, our income has suffered and this is a fantastic boost to the service. 

“After 16 years of service and over 12,000 missions, there are hundreds of people who have benefited from the work of the Air Ambulance.  It is an unfortunate fact of life that accidents happen and as a result over the coming years, there will be many more people needing our assistance.  None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the community. 

“Thank you Shoreline, we very much appreciate all the hard work that has gone into raising a substantial sum of money."