London, UK, 2014-1-23 — /travelprnews.com/ — Kind-hearted employees at London City Airport did more than their fair share for good causes last year, giving the equivalent of 12 weeks of their time.
Workers from baggage handlers to firefighters swapped their high visibility jackets for aprons and overalls to collectively spend 450 hours helping local charities and organisations. Since 2010, a whopping 3,200 hours of voluntary work has been carried out by airport staff.
A total of 23 local organisations have benefited from the support, including schools, community centres and a range of charities. Projects completed include presenting at schools’ careers fairs, decorating communal areas at the ASTA Centre community hub, garden landscaping at the Royal Docks Learning and Activity Centre, and serving a Christmas lunch at the Church of the Ascension.
Maciej Blicharz, Customer Services Agent at London City Airport said: “Young people nowadays seem to be anxious about their future because of the current economic situation. Nevertheless getting a new job is not impossible. That’s the message I try to communicate when I visit schools or take part in careers fairs. It’s important that the students understand the importance of having a strong CV as well as allowing enough time to prepare for the interview as these two points can be the deciding factors in someone getting a job. I really enjoy volunteering my time to take part in these activities because it gives me a chance to meet many different people and offer them my knowledge and experience which will hopefully lead to them getting a job in the future.”
Dave Chesney, Vicar at Church of the Ascension, Victoria Dock said: “We appreciate greatly the commitment of time and energy from staff at London City Airport in support of our Elders Christmas Party. It takes a great effort to provide food and entertainment to around 100 guests and this would not be possible without the dedication of staff at the airport who assist in decorating our building, wrapping gifts, serving dinner and helping to clear up afterwards; not to mention the occasional dance with our guests. This is always done with great humility and good humour, putting a smile on our guests’ faces and overall making our celebrations go well.”
Liam McKay, Head of Public Affairs and Community Relations at London City Airport said: “LCY is an international airport but it’s also a local business and a local employer. We support a wide range of community initiatives and the fact that our staff are willing to give up their time, year after year, is commendable. Without volunteers many important organisations would not be able to continue their good work. The airport will continue to support them wherever we can.”
London City Airport champions local good causes, including school programmes, sporting grants and community events. The airport’s headline charity is Richard House Children’s Hospice, for which it has raised close to £40,000 in the last twelve months.
In December 2013 the airport worked with British Airways to take a group of 15 children from The ASTA Centre to Disney Land Paris.
For more information on LCY’s community programme browse our website.
Editors note
A total of 3,381,000 passengers used London City Airport in 2013. London City Airport (LCY) is the only airport situated in London itself, just three miles from Canary Wharf, seven miles from the City and 10 miles from London’s West End and linked to all via the Docklands Light Railway. Catering for around 3.4 million passengers (63% travelling on business) and 70,000 movements annually, in 2013 LCY celebrated 26 years of operation. The airport offers a unique rapid transit proposition – a short check in (door to lounge) of around 20 minutes, and a shorter arrival (tarmac to train) of around 15 minutes. 10 airlines fly out of LCY, serving 47 mainly European destinations, eight of which were new for 2013. The airport has permission to increase its operation to 120,000 movements per annum, carrying 6 million passengers, which it intends to do by 2023. Further information about the airport and its services can be found by browsing our website.
Further information
Please contact Charlotte Beeching, External Communications Manager, London City Airport. Tel: 0207 646 0132. Email: charlotte.beeching@londoncityairport.com