Member Article

Sunderland energy employees help school children in need prepare for a new term

Kind-hearted Sunderland energy employees are helping hundreds of school children prepare for a new school year by supporting a local charity.

Nicola Robinson, from Sunderland, a team manager at EDF Energy’s Doxford International Business Park customer service centre, has organised a special collection of school uniforms from her colleagues on behalf of Wearside Women in Need.

With many parents and guardians needing to renew uniforms over the summer, Nicola saw this as an opportunity to collect unwanted uniforms, so she could pass them on to local families who need them.

So far Nicola has managed to collect hundreds of items including blazers, shirts and trousers, which will be passed on to the charity in time for the new school term starting in September.

Wearside Women In Need offer refuge, advice and support to women and children suffering from domestic violence as well providing safe accommodation for homeless young women.

Nicola said: “I feel for anyone who’s had to flee their home and leave everything due to domestic violence. School uniforms are costly and when you’ve left home with very little, they aren’t always financially feasible.

“Children in this situation don’t deserve to be penalised for not having a uniform when they’re already going through so much.

“It makes sense that unwanted uniforms are passed-on and reused instead of disposed of, so that the children can continue at school comfortably and their carer has one less thing to worry about” Over the past 5 years at EDF Energy, Nicola has supported Wearside Women in Need, organising several events to raise funds and collect goods.

This year as well as the school uniform collection Nicola has donated a collection of Easter eggs and hampers and will collect and send gifts at Christmas.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by EDF Energy .