Cardiff Airport raises over £2,500 for Velindre Cancer Centre

The Cardiff Airport team has raised a grand total of £2, 724 for Velindre through fundraising challenges over the past couple of months.

Cardiff Airport staff and their friends and families took part in a ‘Virtual Runway Run’ on 10^th June to raise funds for the Airport’s chosen Charity of the Year, Velindre Cancer Centre. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only on-site staff were able to complete the run on the Cardiff Airport runway, however several others took part in running the same 4.8km distance ‘virtually’ in their local area, each donating £4.80 to Velindre which helped to raise over £700 in total.

Additionally, three Airport Directors; Rhys Owen (Director of HR), Mark Bailey (Director of Planning and Development) and Huw Lewis (Chief Financial Officer) took on a ‘500km in 31 days’ challenge, where they each completed 500km by cycling, running and walking between 11^th May and 10^th June, with their efforts raising over £2000 for the charity.

Velindre was selected as the Airport’s charity partner for 2020/21 via an airport-wide vote last year. The partnership enables Velindre and Cardiff Airport to work together on fundraising opportunities across the Airport and further afield. Funds raised go directly to Velindre, enabling the charity to provide care for those affected by cancer, as well as supporting initiatives over and above those provided by the NHS, including ground-breaking research, specialist equipment and staff training.

Lisa Sims, a member of Cardiff Airport’s Charity Committee said:

“With many of our planned fundraising events put on hold due to the pandemic, it’s been fantastic to continue to raise money for Velindre, even during the current circumstances. The support and enthusiasm from the Airport team and their friends and family for both the Runway Run and 500km Challenge has been brilliant, we look forward to continuing to work with Velindre throughout the rest of the year. Watch this space for the next event!”

Huw Lewis, Chief Financial Officer at Cardiff Airport added:

“These are challenging times for us all, and I’m really proud of how the Cardiff Airport team have pulled together to raise so much for our Charity of the Year. The 500km challenge was a fantastic challenge to take on, and I’m glad that the three of us were able to complete and even exceed the distance within 31 days. I’d like to extend a big thank you to everyone who donated to the Airport’s fundraising activities, helping us to raise well over £2,500.”

Andrew Morris Head of Fundraising at Velindre Cancer Centre, said:

“I think everyone is aware of how badly the COVID virus has affected charities ability to fundraise, with most events being postponed or cancelled. To have the support of the staff at Cardiff Airport at such a difficult time really means a lot to everyone at Velindre. Our staff are still providing exceptional care and support to cancer patients and their families, while dealing with a pandemic. The ingenuity of the fundraisers at and the way they are determined to support us through this crisis is really inspiring – we are very grateful to everyone at the Airport for their fantastic support.”

Cardiff Airport is committed to making a sustainable positive impact on the community through the delivery of the Touchdown Programme, which includes charity support coordinated by the Charity Committee.

To find out more about Cardiff Airport’s Touchdown Programme, please visit https://www.cardiff-airport.com/touchdown-programme/