SUEZ raises £500k to support people living with and affected by cancer
Inspired by feedback from staff, SUEZ’s partnership with Macmillan is now in its tenth year and has grown from strength to strength over the last decade. Starting in 2014 with the Big Ride, a cycle relay that visited SUEZ sites around the country from Scotland to Cornwall, raising over £35,000, the company organises a ‘big’ fundraising event every two years. These events have become a popular feature in the staff calendar as teams around the country compete to walk the furthest, climb the highest and raise the most money to support people living with and affected by cancer.
These ‘big’ events are supplemented by regular fundraising activities throughout the year, including the well-known Macmillan Coffee mornings, raffles and prize draws, and individual sponsorship challenges. All of this is made possible by SUEZ’s network of Macmillan charity champions, staff with a passion for fundraising for the charity, who coordinate events in their local area.
Last Tuesday (26 April) SUEZ organised a lunch to thank its champions for their hard work and celebrate the phenomenal fundraising milestone of £500,000. At the lunch SUEZ staff heard from representatives from Macmillan Cancer Support about how their donations have helped the charity support people living with cancer, including during the pandemic when the charity’s fundraising activity was impacted by Covid restrictions. Awards were given to recognise teams and individuals who have gone above and beyond in their fundraising efforts, recognising dedication, creativity, leadership, giving and inspiration.
John Scanlon, Chief Executive Officer for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK said: “With one in two of us set to receive a cancer diagnosis at some point in our lives, cancer sadly now touches almost all families and when our people told us that they wanted to support a charity, Macmillan Cancer Support was the overwhelming choice to be our charity partner. Our teams have embraced our partnership with Macmillan with the same drive and passion that they give to their day jobs, continually looking for new ways to raise money and reach our increasingly ambitious fundraising targets, raising a phenomenal £500k in nine years. Particular thanks goes to our network of Macmillan champions, who go above and beyond to help us raise funds for this fantastic cause.”
Adam Nash, Senior Partnerships Development Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We are incredibly proud of our partnership with SUEZ recycling and recovery UK which has raised a fantastic half a million pounds since 2013. This fundraising helps Macmillan continue to do whatever it takes for the 3 million people currently living with cancer in the UK.”