London Gatwick security officer, Scott Houghton, nominated SASH Charity (the charity for East Surrey Hospital and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust) to receive funding from the VINCI UK Foundation to build the summerhouse at the MacMillan Cancer Centre.
London Gatwick contributes to the VINCI UK Foundation each year, which supports projects that promote social cohesion and fight exclusion. The projects are sponsored by colleagues as part of a wider VINCI network initiative to promote work in local communities.
The cancer centre at East Surrey Hospital provides a range of holistic support to people and their families from across Surrey and Sussex who are receiving cancer treatment. The new garden summerhouse will provide a quiet outdoor space away from a clinical setting to allow private conversations or quiet time in the garden.
The VINCI UK Foundation provided £5,000 of funding towards the summerhouse following Scott’s nomination.
Scott Houghton, Security Officer, London Gatwick said: “My son previously received treatment at East Surrey Hospital and since then I have supported SASH with fundraising and recently with the support grant from the VINCI UK Foundation. “The centre provides a vital bridge between the clinical care provided in hospitals and supporting people in the community. The new summerhouse will help the cancer centre team to use the centre’s spaces more flexibly, and to provide support in a new environment, as well as directly increasing the access available to the community for less formal meetings and support groups.”
Andrew Bickerdike, Head of SASH Charity, said: “Here at London Gatwick’s local hospitals, we are incredibly grateful to Scott for nominating us for this grant. The links between the airport, the local hospitals and our local community are deep, and this support from the VINCI Foundation has made a really positive impact for people affected by cancer in our local area.”
London Gatwick contributed a further £20,000 to the VINCI UK Foundation for 2024 and the grants for the latest round of recipients have been announced. Crawley Film Initiative, a community film production company; Freeshop Crawley, a community hub for those facing poverty; Time4Children, free one-to-one emotional listening support for young children; and Learning Space, a children and young people's mental health charity based in Surrey will all receive funding from the foundation following bids from airport colleagues.
Melanie Wrightson, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, London Gatwick said: “Helping the community is part of what we do at London Gatwick. We are so pleased to offer a helping hand through the VINCI UK Foundation, in addition to the London Gatwick Foundation Fund, the Gatwick Airport Community Trust and numerous staff initiatives and fundraising activities every year.
“In 2023 London Gatwick donated more than £750,000 to local charities across Sussex, Surrey, Kent and beyond, the highest ever amount in a single year."
