Press Release
Gatwick staff are told they are shining stars by new Managing Director
28 February 2007
Gatwick staff are told they are shining stars by new Managing Director
28 February 2007
BAA Gatwick staff have been praised by new airport Managing Director, Andy Flower, as being shining stars due to their volunteering activities in the local community around the airport. As part of BAA’s commitment to employee volunteering through the annual ‘I-Volunteer’ awards, funded by BAA’s own charity The Communities Trust, 54 staff from across the airport were presented with cheques for their charities, or the organisations they have worked with over the last year.
The I-Volunteer Awards were established to celebrate the work of BAA staff who give up their time to fundraise and volunteer for deserving charities and projects. In the three years since its launch, I-Volunteer has donated nearly £300,000 towards good causes around BAA airports.
Of the 54 Gatwick employees who entered this year’s awards, three achieved highly commended under the categories of best volunteer team, ( Paul Couchman, BAA’s Design Manager, Capital Projects); best fundraising team ( David Bird, Head of Technical Development) and best fundraising individual ( David Houston, Security Officer ). All those who entered the awards received a grant for their charities from the Trust, totalling £18,500. Charities and organisations benefiting included organisations such as : St Catherine’s Hospice, Crawley; the NSPCC; Crawley and Reigate Cats Protection League; Children in Need and Cancer Research.
A special cheque of £2,000 was donated to each of the three Gatwick employees who were highly commended for their work. (1) The cheques were presented at a special event held at Gatwick on Monday 26 February by BAA Gatwick’s new Managing Director, Andy Flower.
Speaking at the event Andy said: “ I am delighted to be presenting these cheques in recognition of the hard work and commitment BAA Gatwick employees have shown in the past year. The range and quality of the volunteering and fund raising has been very impressive and has proved to be a real benefit to the local community around the airport. I would personally like to thank all the BAA Gatwick staff for all their hard work and commitment and I look forward to next year’s IVolunteer awards”
Notes to Editors:
A donation of £2,000 each to: the Hillingdon Education Business Partnership on behalf of Paul
Couchman and his work with a schools e- mentoring programme; to Chipstead Football Club in Surrey on behalf of David Houston and to the NSPCC on behalf of David Bird.The airport wide awards ceremony was held on 18 January in London and was hosted by former BBC
newsreader Martyn Lewis.
