Charity Football Match Raises £10,000 for MIND Somerset

MIND Somerset turned out to be the winners of a special charity match during the summer between Hinkley Point C and Manchester United Legends hosted by Bridgwater Town FC.

The unique match drew a crowd of almost 1,000 as the game played out an entertaining 2-2 draw that was settled on penalties in favour of the Man Utd Legends, which included former first-team players Wes Brown, Danny Webber and Keith Gillespie. HPC put together a squad of 17 to play the ex-pros, selected from more than 100 workers at the first trials.

Fundraising from the match has now raised £10,000 for the local charity MIND Somerset, a charity that provides support groups and guidance to those in need in the local area.

Paul Walker, HPC Heroes manager, said: “I’m bursting with pride to have been part of this event. From the way our players conducted themselves and stuck to the game plan, to the help we received from across our whole supply chain and the superb organisation – it’s been a truly humbling experience.”

David Fields, Community Fundraising Manager for MIND said: “We rely heavily on community fund raising so receiving £10,000 is monumental for MIND Somerset. We have been trying to find money to expand the youth service we provide into more towns around Somerset, focusing on Bridgwater, Minehead and Taunton. We now won’t have to take money out of our core funds to provide that service because this £10,000 will be able to fund it. Thank you very much to Hinkley Point C, it really does mean a huge amount. When we found out that it was £10,000 we all couldn’t believe it, it is a game changer for us.”

Sarah Connolly, Assistant Project Manager for Civils Programme, organised the day’s events. She added: “The event was a true show of solidarity and collaboration for an amazing cause. It allowed us to engage with the local community in such a positive way. The team played amazingly well. It was so nice to see everyone enjoying the day and raising money for a deserving charity. I can’t wait for the next one!”

On presenting the cheque on Thursday 19 September at HPC, Nigel Cann, HPC Delivery Director said: “The football event was a true show of solidarity and collaboration for an amazing cause that will help to make a difference in the local community.”

Notes to editors

Socio-Economic Benefit

As well as tackling climate change by providing decades of reliable, low carbon electricity, Hinkley Point C aims to provide lasting social and industrial benefits. These range from increasing local employment, to the development of a sustainable regional supply chain and the advancement of new training facilities and qualifications. The 2019 Socio-Economic Report highlights the big efforts to build a pipeline of skills from schools to the site whilst ensuring economic benefits are available for the South West region and UK as a whole.

EDF’s low carbon investment

EDF is investing in a wide range of low carbon technologies which will help the UK cut its carbon emissions . Its renewables business has 34 wind farms and operates one of the country’s largest battery storage facilities. Its eight existing nuclear power stations avoid around 20 million tonnes of C02 emissions each year.

In all energy generation methods, including renewables, carbon emissions are present throughout the entire life-cycle of operation from construction to eventual decommissioning. Hinkley Point C will easily offset the carbon emissions required for its construction and will have a lower carbon footprint than some renewable sources including offshore wind and large scale solar. 

Hinkley Point C’s forecast carbon output over its lifetime is 4.8gCO2/KWh with 1.7gC02/KWh being borne from the construction stage itself. Fuel fabrication and supply makes up the majority of the remainder – 2.1gCO2/KWh, decommissioning 0.8gCO2/KWh and operation only 0.2gCO2/KWh.[1]

[1] Life Cycle Assessment of the carbon footprint of the planned Hinkley Point C power station. 2012