A GROUP to support cancer sufferers from the region has been named Newcastle International Airport’s adopted charity for the year.
Many passengers donate their left-over foreign currency to charity at collection points across the terminal, and airport staff also get involved in regular fund-raising activities.
Funds raised will now benefit Maggie’s.
The announcement follows a staff vote and charity selection process. Over the last few years, the airport has helped the NSPCC to raise thousands of pounds for children in the North East.
Maggie’s offers a free programme of emotional and practical support to people with cancer, as well as their friends and families. Its staff provide professional information and advice, along with counselling sessions, answer questions about benefits, organise support groups and run practical workshops such as nutrition classes.
It has been raising funds for a new purpose-built centre in Newcastle, based at the Freeman Hospital, and hopes to open it before the summer.
Airport Chief Executive Dave Laws said: “Our relationship with the NSPCC has been hugely successful and we’re glad to have been able to help them raise so much for the cause. Our new adopted charity, Maggie’s, is a wonderful charity which we feel will have a real benefit for those in the region and their families dealing with cancer and will offer a valuable service.”
It has been a busy time for the airport as it has also unveiled a new website, which has been re-developed to help visitors find their way around it with ease, and it is also compatible with smartphones and tablets.
The site includes flight information, airport news and retail and catering information. There are also aerial shots from across the North East, including the Northumberlandia landform near Blagdon.
More than 1.3 million unique visitors use the site, which has around 30 million page views every year. It can be found at www.newcastleairport.com