Nexus workers raise over £5,000 for charity

Nexus have raised over £5,000 for the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

The charity will benefit from a donation of £5,535.34, following a year of fundraising efforts by Nexus employees, who organised a range of events.

The money was officially handed over at a cheque presentation at Central Metro station concourse in Newcastle. 

Nexus Managing Director, Martin Kearney, was joined by Giles Evans and Amanda Simmister from Great North Air Ambulance Service, plus colleagues from Nexus who have supported the fundraising efforts. 

The charity was chosen by Nexus employees, who nominate and vote on a local charity to support each year. 

Managing Director of Nexus, Martin Kearney, said: “I’m really pleased that our teams have spent the last year raising this fantastic sum of money for Great North Air Ambulance Service.

“Lots of employees have got involved, in all kinds of fundraising, helping out a really worthy cause. Thank you to everyone who donated money, took part in activities or organised events. I’m told it costs almost £4,500 for every mission the charity does, so I am delighted to be able to say that we have funded at least one mission, and hopefully helped save a life.” 

Giles Evans, Fundraiser at Great North Air Ambulance Service, said: “I want to say a massive thank you to everyone at Nexus for choosing to support us.

“You have raised a fantastic amount of money, which enables us to continue running our service and saving lives across the region.

“We receive no Government funding and need to raise over £7million every year to keep our services up and running. Donations like these help us stay in the sky, and help us save lives, and we are extremely grateful.”

Funds were raised via a range of methods, including raffles, coffee mornings, bingo sessions and wellbeing walks plus sales of lost property, Metro merchandise and cakes. Great North Air Ambulance volunteers also collected almost £500 at bucket collections at Monument Metro station. 

For this financial year, Nexus has announced Daft as a Brush cancer patient care as their chosen charity, as voted for by their employees.

The tie up with the charity will include regular fundraising activities throughout the year. 

Daft as a Brush, based in Newcastle, transport up to 100 cancer patients a day to and from the Freeman Hospital, free of charge, relying completely on charity fundraising to buy run their 30 patient transport vehicles, and on volunteers to drive them. 

Building on the transport link, Daft as a Brush plan to put any money raised towards the running of their vehicles.