London Luton Airport (LLA) has announced a new charity partnership with Luton Foodbank and East Anglian Air Ambulance. The three-year partnership will see colleagues from across the airport work together with the chosen charities to raise vital funds. Previous fundraising activities include a Summer Solstice Runway Run and an epic four-day charity bike ride from Paris to Amsterdam.
As well as fundraising, the air ambulance will also benefit from free refuelling and waived landing fees at the airport, giving them maximum flexibility for their operation. The food bank will continue to receive food and confiscated items from airport security, an initiative which began in 2019.
London Luton Airport has announced a new charity partnership with Luton Foodbank and East Anglian Air Ambulance. The three-year partnership will see colleagues from across the airport work together with the chosen charities to raise vital funds. Pictured: Salma Khan, Manager, Luton Foodbank; Dr Victor Inyang, Medical Director, East Anglian Air Ambulance; Paul Turvey, Luton Foodbank; and Eduardo Prato, Pilot, East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The new partnership follows a successful three-year partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, which raised over £175,000 (€200,000) for the charity, funding over 400 Macmillan Grants in the area, and helping local families meet the costs that can arise from cancer and its treatment.
The charity partnership scheme has been running since 2008 and has raised more than £600,000 (€700,000) for charity organisations, thanks to the fundraising efforts of LLA’s staff and passengers alike.
This is just one of the ways that LLA contributes to the local community. A volunteer hub has been set up to provide staff with local volunteering opportunities during the pandemic, with some staff re-deployed to the East of England Ambulance and more than 100 helping out at local vaccination centres.
“Supporting our local community is an incredibly important part of airport life,” says Alberto Martin, CEO London Luton Airport. “Our adopted charities are a perfect fit with our focus on creating a ‘healthy today and a skilled tomorrow’. We have some really exciting fund-raising ideas planned for the new partnership and are really passionate about making a difference.”
Liz Stringer, Chair of Luton Foodbank, comments: “Luton Foodbank is delighted to be working with London Luton Airport through our new three-year partnership. LLA is such an integral part of Luton life we will take great pleasure in jointly delivering projects and activities to raise funds. All the funding raised will help to ensure noone in Luton goes hungry.”
Dr Victor Inyang, Medical Director, East Anglian Air Ambulance, adds: “We are incredibly grateful to London Luton Airport for supporting East Anglian Air Ambulance over the next three years. As a charity that relies almost entirely on public support, the pandemic has had a significant impact on our community’s ability to fundraise. Our crews continue to provide a vital emergency service to the people of Luton and surrounding areas 365 days a year, and this partnership will not only help us raise awareness of our work, but also support us in raising the vital funds needed to keep flying and saving lives.”
