Workers at Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm have raised nearly £8,500 for local Boston charities through a scheme that rewards excellence in health and safety working practices.
Four charities have been nominated by employees of Triton Knoll and Siemens Energy who are constructing the Triton Knoll Onshore Substation near Bicker, Boston. Each charity will receive £2,119 bringing the total raised by Siemens and Triton Knoll employees since November 2019 to £30,000.
Jacob Hain, Substations Package Manager at Triton Knoll, said: “We take site safety extremely seriously, and we recognise that the employees working on our sites are best placed to spot any improvements that can be made. By encouraging workers to report anything they think could cause a problem, we’re achieving multiple goals. We’re getting increased ‘buy in’ to our safety procedures by involving the team, we’re constantly improving procedures and, of course, we’re giving something back to the local community. The scheme has proved a great success both in terms of improving site safety and raising much needed funds for local charities.”
Phil Manley, Project Director, Siemens Energy Limited, said: “We’ve seen fantastic levels of engagement from our employees since we started the scheme. The team has chosen to support charities that do amazing work in the community, and in some cases have personal significance. It has helped everyone to maintain an excellent safety record and has even led to the implementation of important, new safety procedures.”
The charities selected to receive £2,119 donations are all located in the proximity of the Triton Knoll Onshore Substation construction activities:
- Cruse Bereavement Care – providing support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies and to enhance society’s care of bereaved people.
- Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) – a volunteer-led organisation that provides pastoral and practical support to farming and rural people during periods of anxiety, stress and problems relating to their families and businesses
- SHINE – an organisation dedicated to relief of sickness and preservation of health of people with mental health problems living in Lincolnshire.
- We Are With You in Lincolnshire (Boston) – the local service of a national charity that supports people experiencing issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health
The donations are a welcome boost to the charities, which have been operating in difficult circumstances since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dawne Hart, Fundraising and Engagement Manager (Midlands and East of England) for Cruse Bereavement Care said: “We are so thankful to the workers at Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm for their incredibly generous donation. The money raised will go towards enabling us to reach even more bereaved people during these incredibly difficult times. With more and more people accessing Cruse services, these donations are vital to ensure every bereaved person can get the support they need.”
Alison Twiddy, LRSN’s project manager, said: “We are so grateful to receive these funds from the Triton Knoll Project Health and Safety Initiative. Our role to support Lincolnshire’s farming and rural folk who are struggling to cope in these challenging times, has never been more essential and we anticipate a growing need for our services in the coming months and years. The funds are so very much appreciated by us all here at LRSN as almost all our fundraising activities and those of our supporters, have had to be cancelled. The money will help ensure that we are able to continue to provide our confidential and professional services to those in Lincolnshire who are facing these toughest of times.”
Mike Martin, Administrator at Shine Lincolnshire said: “Shine Mental Health Network are very pleased to receive this generous donation and would like to thank everyone involved in raising this money. The monies will be used to adapt and expand our volunteer services helping people with mental health needs access services that can help. This could be to purchase IT equipment such as tablets for virtual consultations or PPE for face-to-face when we are able to do so safely.”
Lisa Brooks, Operations Manager for We Are With You in Lincolnshire, said: “The individuals and families we support will benefit hugely from this donation amid the current lockdown. Our workers are holding emergency in-person appointments and also virtual support sessions, so that the people we usually see at our service buildings are not forgotten. The new funding will boost this vital work.”
