Staff from GE Aviation Wales have donated over 100 items of clothing to local children’s hospice Tŷ Hafan to distribute and support their 23 charity shops across South Wales.
To collect the clothing, the company, which specialises in servicing aircraft engines, set up a unique Donation Station where people could drop off unwanted clothes and items, helping to prevent them being sent to landfill sites. The initiative was set up by the company’s Project Green Sky team, which focuses on creating environmentally friendly initiatives to help make the environment a cleaner place to live and work.
Mike Patton, Managing Director of GE Aviation Wales said: “At GE Aviation Wales we believe in giving back to the local community and as part of our ethos we encourage our staff to help others.
“Tŷ Hafan is a fantastic organisation which offers a valuable service to families across Wales. We hope that our donations will help raise funds for the hospice. This is a great opportunity for all employees to help support their charity shops.”
The donation is part of the company’s wider partnership with the Sully- based hospice which offers care and support for children with life limiting illnesses. Throughout the year the company raises funds for Tŷ Hafan through organising and running the annual Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge, now in its 15th year, and a number of in-house fundraisers.
Penny Collins, Retail Operations Manager at Tŷ Hafan added: “We are grateful to GE Aviation Wales and Project Green Sky for setting up the Donation Station. It costs more than £3m a year for Tŷ Hafan to provide the one-to-one care and outreach services to life-limited children, young people and their families. We would like to thank GE for its continued support.”
Alistair Downes, a member of the Project Green Sky Team said: “It is great that we are able to use this project to support Tŷ Hafan. Any items which are not suitable for resale will be recycled as part of the initiative. On behalf of Project Green Sky, a big thank you all our employees who have donated and we look forward to carrying on with the Donation Station in the New Year.
GE Aviation Wales is one of the largest employers in Wales and occupies over 1.2 million sq. ft. of workshop space, has two state-of-the-art engine and works with over 90 customers worldwide including Emirates, British Airways and easyJet.