EDF Energy and its employees raise more than £400,000 for Marie Curie

• Employees have exceeded their three-year fundraising target in just fifteen months

• Staff at the company’s Torness power station in East Lothian contribute nearly £20,000 to the nationwide total
  

Just fifteen months after Marie Curie became EDF Energy’s new charity partner, employees have already exceeded the fundraising target set for the duration of the entire three year partnership.

Since the partnership began in May 2013, staff at Torness power station in East Lothian have contributed £18,500 to the total through tea parties, dress down days, sponsored walks, leg waxing, tombolas, raffles and more.

They are celebrating this news in style with a cake sale to raise yet more money for Marie Curie.

Paul Winkle, Station Director at Torness said: “The staff here have been really creative with raising money for this worthy cause . Reaching the target in under half the time that they were given is an amazing achievement and is down to the enthusiasm, energy and passion of our employees and contract partners, and their extraordinary fundraising efforts. I know everyone has had a lot of fun getting involved. ”

The station used its outage in February to drive fund-raising, including donating £2000 to the charity when employees hit a maintenance milestone. A further £500 was raised through a collection within the operations’ team and £700 came from a Blooming Great Tea Party.

As well as the station’s own fundraising events, many employees have also completed their own challenges to raise cash.

Three courageous male members of staff braved the pain as their legs got waxed last year and in July, “Team Torness” joined Marie Curie’s Walk Ten at Dalkeith Country Estate in Edinburgh raising over £600 through the 10km walk.

The target for the three year partnership is £300,000 and within fifteen months employees from EDF Energy sites across the nation have raised £331,917. With the £100,000 first year match-funding from EDF Energy the total raised for the charity is over £430,000. The funds raised are enough to pay for 16,595 nursing hours or 21 nurses for one year.

Fabian French, Director of Fundraising at Marie Curie, added: “To have raised so much, so quickly is a fantastic achievement. Every single member of staff who has been involved and every pound donated helps us care for more terminally ill people and their families. The money raised so far will really help us to continue to care for people living with terminal illnesses as well as vital emotional support for their families.”