Cruise line employees, crew and passengers raise more than £600,000 for UK cancer support charity
By
Rebecca Gibson |
P&O Cruises has raised more than £600,000 for charity partner Macmillan Cancer Support over the past two years.
Employees, crew members and passengers have all raised funds by participating in events such as a P&O Cruises’ head office bake-off led by celebrity chef Eric Lanlard, the Isle of Wight Challenge, onboard officer and crew fitness challenges, weekly onboard coffee mornings, and more.
“I’d like to say a huge well done to everyone at P&O Cruises for reaching this total and a heartfelt thank you to all the customers who took time on their holidays to get involved with fundraising too,” said Simon Phillips, director of fundraising at Macmillan Cancer Support. “At Macmillan we believe that no one should face cancer alone, and thanks to our partnership with P&O Cruises we can fund more services that help us to support people affected by cancer when they need it most.”
The money will be used to fund a variety of projects including the development of a new Macmillan Healing Garden at Southampton General Hospital. The garden will be available to all cancer patients and their families when it opens later this year.
“Many of our colleagues who have taken on challenges for Macmillan have themselves been supported by the charity during a cancer experience, and it’s this personal understanding of the difference they can make that has driven us to such fundraising heights,” said Gerard Tempest, chief commercial officer at P&O Cruises. “I’m also delighted to know that the money we’ve raised will contribute to services right here in our local community, which is a truly fantastic legacy for everyone involved in the partnership.”