Strictly Come Dancing Event Raises £40,000 for Energy for Children Charity

Gas Industry Turns Up the Heat in Charity Fundraiser

The Northern Ireland Natural Gas Industry joined forces to turn up the heat for a night of glitz and glamour, Strictly style, on Friday 27^th April at La Mon Hotel and Country Club, in an industry fundraiser which generated over £40,000 for local charity, Energy for Children.

Energy for Children was established in 2005 initially by Phoenix Natural Gas but since then has been embraced by the local natural gas industry to include installers, merchants, retailers and gas suppliers. To date, the charity has assisted over 8,000 disadvantaged children.

The Charity aims to help those children who slip through the net of the more established charity network and reaches deep into the heart of local communities in Greater Belfast and beyond to really make a difference to disadvantaged children’s lives.

Ken Kinkead, Northern Ireland Natural Gas Association representative, said, “Just over 20 years ago, natural gas arrived in Northern Ireland and in that time a new industry has been established which now employs over 3,000 people. Our industry is unique in that we have our own charity which allows us to give back to the communities in which we operate – something that we are all very proud of.

“The Charity is solely funded by the efforts of the industry and we regularly hold fundraising events to allow us to continue helping those children who need it most. We are delighted to announce that the Strictly Come Dancing event has generated over £40,000 for the Charity, the largest fundraising amount for a single event to date.

“This is fantastic news for the industry and I thank everyone who was involved in the organisation and production of the event, including the fantastic dancers who have dedicated so much of their time for this very worthy cause. The funds will now go towards helping even more local disadvantaged children and will allow the Charity to continue aiding those hard to reach cases.”

The event was attended by over 500 people and featured special guest judge and rugby legend, Stephen Ferris. The evening was compered by host Adrian Logan.

For more information on the Charity visit www.phoenixnaturalgas.com/about-us/phoenix-group/corporate-responsibility. For more information on making an application to the Energy for Children Charity please contact Geri Wright, Charity Liaison Officer on geri.wright@energyforchildren-ni.org.