Insights / Blog / We raised £30k for charity last year – here’s where it’s going

Blog / We raised £30k for charity last year – here’s where it’s going

27th April 2017

We’ve had a lot of exciting moments at Opus Energy over the last year – a new office in Cardiff, the announcement of a relocation for our Northampton offices, and being purchased by Drax Group – but that hasn’t slowed our employees down for a second.

Over the last year, our teams have collectively raised £30,000 for charity. That means an amazing £15,000 for each of our two chosen charities: Rainbows Children’s Hospice and Guide Dogs.

These were the two charities that employees voted to support over the last year, out of a selection of worthy local causes. It’s fair to say that we’re passionate about what they do, so we’re dedicating this post to them.

We raised 30k - 1

What does Guide Dogs do?

Guide Dogs is a UK-based charity dedicated to providing mobility and freedom to blind and partially sighted people, through scientific research, the provision of guide dogs and rehabilitation services.

They also campaign for the rights of people with visual impairment, successfully lobbying to influence policies and legislation.


How have Opus Energy employees got involved?

A highlight of the year had to be welcoming Opus the puppy to the world – a guide dog-in-training that Opus Energy sponsored to cover her costs.

We’ve also spent several education days at Guide Dogs HQ in Leamington Spa, with employees using their free volunteer day to spend some time learning about what Guide Dogs do, meeting people who’ve been helped by the charity and seeing what goes into training a dog.

Here’s what one of our employees had to say:

"It was a really great experience to meet people who relied on the use of a guide dog and to gain an understanding of their day to day life… And of course, the dogs were lovely and it was great to be able to interact with them."


What is Rainbows Children’s Hospice?

Rainbows is a hospice that provides care to children and young people who have an incurable condition or a condition which means they are unlikely to live far into adulthood, supporting both the young people and their families.

From their HQ in Loughborough, they offer palliative care, family support, therapies, symptom control assessment and support, and much more.

Rainbow hospice

How have Opus Energy employees been helping?

Many of our employees have used their free volunteer day to spend some time at the hospice. We’ve helped out with everything from gardening, answering phones, hand-making craft items to sell for fundraising and much more.

We’ve also had the pleasure of taking part in Rainbow’s annual raffles, and had their representatives visit our offices to sell cards and raffle tickets to help with their fundraising.

Here’s what one of our employees said about their volunteer day at the hospice:

"It’s a great facility for the children, it feels less like a hospital and more of a home away from their own home. The staff are so friendly and have the best facilities to cater to every child’s needs.

It was a huge eye opener to see just how much Rainbows does and provides to the children and their families. It’s great to see the difference all our donations make."

How did we raise the money?

Good question – here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the things we’ve got up to:

There were also a few other local causes we couldn’t ignore, and chose to dedicate some extra time to – like the local foodbanks we collected for during the festive season: Hope Centre, The Oxford Food Bank and Huggard: Helping the Homeless.

We’ve now set our sights firmly on the next financial year, and looking forward to achieving even more to help some incredibly worthy causes. Keep an eye on this blog to find out what our employees are up to.

Interested in working at Opus Energy? We’re always on the look-out for employees in our Northampton, Cardiff and Oxford offices. Visit our Careers page by clicking here.