Runners completed either a 5km or 10km route around Drax’s Skylark Nature Reserve as part of the company’s Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning event on Friday (September 28).
Each member of the Drax team donated £1 per kilometre to take part in the event with those completing the 10km route climbing to the top of local landmark Barlow Mound which is next to the power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire.
Staff also contributed to Macmillan’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’, by making home-baked cakes and treats to sell in aid of the charity – with staff contributing to cake stalls around the power station site.
The monies raised were then match funded by Drax. In total they raised £2,500 for the charity, which provides support and advice to people with cancer and their families.
Macmillan Area Fundraising Manager for North and East Yorkshire, Clara White, who was on hand to start the race, thanked the runners as they came over the finish line.
She said, “I was delighted to be able to attend the Big Skylark Fun Run – the money raised by Drax Power Station staff is vital to the work we do to help thousands of people affected by cancer and their families across Yorkshire very year.
“Congratulations to all the runners, and thanks also to everyone who baked and bought cakes during the coffee morning. I hope all the runners treated themselves to an extra large slice of cake afterwards – they certainly earned it!”
Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner, who participated in the 5k run, said:
“Congratulations to all the staff involved today – it was great to see such a fantastic turn out for a worthy cause. The run has been such a success we hope to make it an annual event.”
Drax Power CEO Andy Koss, who completed the 10k course added:
“The run was a lot of fun – the run up Barlow Mound was a little challenging, but worth it for the views from the top!”
“The work of Macmillan in supporting cancer patients and their families is vital – most of us have been affected by cancer at some point in our lives, so perhaps it’s no surprise that so many of our staff got involved and showed their support. The runners and bakers were brilliant – but the team which organised the event was also fantastic. Well done all.”
ENDS
Media contacts:
Ali Lewis
Drax Group Interim Head of Media & PR
E: [email protected]
T: 07712 670888
Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712 677177
Editor’s Notes
About Drax
Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used. Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.
The Group includes:
Drax Power Ltd, which operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies six percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest single site renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.
Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses.
Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses.
Drax Biomass, is based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests, supplying fuel used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.
For more information visit www.drax.com/uk
