The UK’s largest transport operator, FirstGroup, was recognised last month (22 September) at Save the Children’s inaugural Corporate Business Awards for its outstanding contribution to the charity's work.
Save the Children, which is FirstGroup’s charity partner, presented the Aberdeen based company with the award for ‘Outstanding Results in Engaging the Public’ due to its significant support of Save the Children’s policy, campaigns and awareness work.
In 2010 FirstGroup funded a research report into the benefits system, and donated over £1million worth of advertising space on its buses to support Save the Children’s ‘I worry’ campaign in the run up to the General Election. In 2011 FirstGroup has already donated bus advertising space worth more than £410k in support of the ‘No Child Born Without a Chance’ campaign about child poverty in the UK and in support of the Save the Children inspired ‘Born to Shine’ prime time TV show.
Save the Children’s ambassador, Natasha Kaplinsky, presented the award to FirstGroup’s Marketing Manager, Avril Gill.
Douglas Rouse, Corporate Partnerships Director at Save the Children said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to recognise the invaluable support and achievements of FirstGroup for the first time at Save the Children’s Corporate Business Awards. Through FirstGroup’s support we are working to ensure children here in the UK get a better start in life.”
Avril Gill, FirstGroup’s Marketing Manager, said: “It’s a privilege to be recognised by our charity partners for the work we do from a corporate level to support Save the Children. And I’m particularly delighted that the incredible work our UK staff do to support the charity has also been acknowledged.”
She added: “Knowing that FirstGroup’s support is making a real difference to the lives of the children that need help most in the UK is both rewarding and reassuring.”
Since 2007 FirstGroup has raised almost £4.5 million for Save the Children through corporate donations, gifts in kind and staff fundraising supporting Save the Children’s UK programmes to tackle child poverty. In 2010, FirstGroup supported two pilots of Save the Children’s UK project Families and Schools Together (FAST) in Manchester and West Dunbartonshire. Following the success of those pilot projects FAST has been rolled out on a wider scale.