SUEZ funds festive cheer for 102 UK charities
Established five years ago by SUEZ Chief Technical Development and Innovation Officer Stuart Hayward-Higham, SCOPE designs and implements solutions for organisations looking to reduce waste and maximise resources at every stage in their value chain. Dividing the profits generated by those solutions among local charities as part of the Scope Christmas Fund ensures those value chains deliver social as well as environmental benefits.
The charities are chosen by members of the 7000-strong SUEZ workforce, many of whom have already donated time to support their nominated organisation as part of the SUEZ ‘Day a Year to Volunteer’ programme where colleagues are encouraged to take an extra day of paid leave to help a good cause in their area.
Stuart Hayward-Higham said: “The SCOPE fund is result of our team using their expertise to produce bespoke solutions for our customers which deliver environmental, financial and resource efficiency benefits.
“However, innovation can deliver much more in terms of social capital and the not-for-profit status of the SCOPE programme means businesses that use us can see social as well as environmental outcomes for themselves and communities across the UK.”
Each of the Scope Christmas Fund beneficiaries receives a donation of either £250 or £500 to spend on the people they help, whether that’s a special gift, a Christmas lunch or bringing some seasonal cheer to the community.
One such charity is Open Doors Somerset, based in Crewkerne, who used their £500 award to create a community festive window, which is currently on display in the town centre. The window depicts a beautiful model aerial landscape of the town and was made by members of community to highlight the work done by Open Doors Somerset such as distributing surplus food, chop and chat groups, running a community fridge and a repair hub.
In the North East The Recruitment Junction, a Newcastle-based charity that helps ex-offenders back into work, used their donation to boost their Big Give ‘Hampers and Hardship’ crowdfunder campaign.
Said Founder Beverley Brooks: “I want to send everyone at SUEZ a huge ‘thank you’ for your donation towards our Big Give ‘Hampers and Hardship’ crowdfunder campaign, which in spite of a difficult economic climate has again been our most successful yet.
“SUEZ’s generous contribution purchased 20 fantastic hampers that we have been able to gift our job seeking candidates. The remaining monies have been allocated to our Hardship Fund, which will be used throughout next year to provide practical help to assist people into work.”
The recipient of one hamper said: 'You've made my day... no, you've made my Christmas'. It’s such a smashing thing to be able to make this kind gesture at what could otherwise be a really difficult time of year for some people and their families. Thank you so much for being a part of this now and into 2026.”