Essex

Commitment To Safety Nets £1k For Little Haven

First in Hadleigh donates safety award to local childrens charity

A commitment to safety by First in Hadleigh is rewarding for the children helped by one Essex charity.

The £1k prize for the "Best Medium Depot Contribution to Injury Prevention' was swooped by the Hadleigh depot " and will be given wholly to the Little Havens Children Hospice, in Thundersely.

Little Havens Childrens Hospice is close to the hearts of many members of staff in Hadleigh who have supported the charity since the day it opened and who regularly contribute from their wages.

Tanya King, Corporate Fundraiser for Little Havens Children's Hospice said, "This is fantastic news for Little Havens and on behalf of the charity, I would like to say a huge thank you and congratulations to the Hadleigh depot for this prestigious award.

"The charity rely heavily on the support of local businesses so this donation will help us to continue caring for life-limited children and their families when they need it most."

Little Havens Children's Hospice " part of Havens Hospices " provides respite breaks, symptom control and end-of-life care for youngsters living with serious conditions and who are not expected to reach adulthood. It aims to make their journey - and that of the family - as comfortable as possible, creating special memories along the way.

The love and care provided by the Care Team in the homely surroundings at Little Havens is as special and unique as the child. This could not continue without kind donations as it costs £2.3 million each year to keep the hospice open.

Speaking of the safety award Andy Spicer, Operations Manager at Hadleigh, said: "I was pleasantly surprised that we were short listed, and extremely proud and honoured to actually win this award.

"We are all delighted to be able to recommend Little Havens Childrens Hospice for our thousand-pound donation.

"The team works extremely well together to ensure that health, safety and environmental issues are managed effectively. They are enthusiastic and open to new ideas and changes in processes from Group and the company " our figures really speak for themselves in that area.'

The depot overcame several major obstacles over the past year while remaining fully operational during a roof replacement and full hardwiring electrical rewire and refit causing disruption and lack of space.

Being proactive resulted in December 2007 to 2008 saw no reportable lost time injuries a direct result of their commitment to Injury Prevention.

Alan Pilbeam, MD for First East England, said: "Combined with Yarmouths commendation for the same award, it was a well-deserved night of success for the east of England.

"Safety underpins everything that we do at First, our message to our 2,000 strong workforce across East England is always; ‘If you cannot do it safely, dont do it.

"These awards not only reward those individuals and companies that have delivered outstanding safety performance, but also give everyone encouragement to improve their own performance. Our approach to safety is relentless, and whilst we can point to a good safety record across the business, we must continue to improve and do better.'