O2 employees smash target by raising £23,000 for Wexham Park Hospital

O2 employees in Slough are delighted to announce they have raised £23,000 to date that’s being used to transform gardens at Wexham Park Hospital.

In March this year Wexham Park Hospital was chosen by O2 employees from a choice of four charities to receive 12 months’ financial and physical support from staff. The year-long project is to improve gardens and paving areas in the hospital, which are used by staff, patients and visitors to relax away from the ward.

Employees at O2 sites in Slough have participated in a wide range of events from charity golf days to summer fetes in an effort to raise the cash needed to help make a stay in Wexham Park a little more enjoyable. Teams of O2 volunteers have been getting their hands dirty by transforming five gardens with a view to reach their target of 11 gardens within the coming months.

Helen Parker, Community Investment Manager, said: “We’ve been delighted to have had the chance to work with Wexham Park Hospital throughout the year and I’m extremely proud of what O2 employees have been able to achieve and continue to work towards. Our people have taken time out of their busy schedules to help improve the area around them to make a positive impact to patients for some time to come.”

The decision to support a local project marks a change in the way O2 raises funds for charity. For the past three years the company has worked with a single UK charity partner but this year decided to give staff at its five main sites across the country the opportunity to raise cash for a charity of their choice, in their local area.

O2’s support of Wexham is part of the O2 It’s Your Community programme, which allows groups, organisations and charities to apply for awards ranging from £100 to £1,000 to make a difference within communities. By the end of 2008 £1 million will have been given to over 1,250 projects across the UK which are helping to make a positive difference.