The region’s largest electricity distribution network’s employees have been inspired by the memories of their friends and family to raising incredible amounts of money.
Throughout 2024, Northern Powergrid donated over five thousand pounds to the British Heart Foundation through colleague fundraising and their matched giving scheme.
Two different fundraisers have shared their stories as to why the British Heart Foundation is so close to their hearts.
In 2024, the Customer Care team at Northern Powergrid raised over £1,500 in memory of their good friend and colleague Jack Shields, who unexpectedly passed away aged 29.
Jack had been with the business around seven years and worked in Connections and Smart Teams, before following in his mam’s footsteps, joining the Customer Care Team in May 2023.
Jack was a well-liked member of staff and when he passed, members of his team thought to honour his memory by raising money for a charity close to his heart, The British Heart Foundation.
Dawn Parlett, Customer Care Operations Manager at Northern Powergrid, said “Not only was Jack a colleague and friend, but he also made so many of us laugh every day he was at work.
“Jack’s mam, Jackie, also worked for the business and had retired a few years ago and many of us of us had connections with both Jack and his mum, which hit the team really hard.
“At such a difficult time it’s hard to know what to do and what to say and one of the ways that we were able to feel like we were doing something was by raising money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of Jack.
“Jack was a massive Sunderland football fan and so we were able to dress in red to remember him and support the charity that meant such a lot to Jack’s family, it really helped our team pull together and support each other at such a difficult time.”
Another incredible fundraising achievement from Northern Powergrid staff for the British Heart Foundation saw a team of 12 completed a gruelling 150-mile cycle across Holland in memory of Tom Murphy.
Father of three, Tom Murphy from Newcastle, was a keen cyclist, and completed annual trips across Holland with his friends and family for fun but also to raise funds for charity.
Unfortunately, in October 2023, Tom was found unconscious in the sauna of his local gym after suffering a cardiac arrest, and after regaining consciousness for a short period of time, he sadly passed away.
Martin Murphy, Tom’s son and Training & Standards Manager for Northern Powergrid, added “Raising for the British Heart Foundation in memory of my dad was something my family, friends and I felt compelled to do.
“My Dad had a cardiac arrest on the Wednesday and was gone by the Saturday, he was 74 years old, not an old age these days.
“He was taken quickly and with no forewarning in any shape or form so we had no time to prepare, even for him in the time between the Wednesday and the Saturday when he woke briefly, he would never have thought for a second, he only had a couple of days left.
“It felt very cruel and harsh, so now we try to help the British Heart Foundation in terms of education, awareness, science and research as much as we can.”
Emily Petitjean, British Heart Foundation fundraising manager said: “We are so very grateful to the teams at Northern Powergrid who have thrown all their passion and commitment into raising funds for the BHF.
“It is only through donations and fundraising like this that the BHF can fund ground-breaking research that will get us closer than ever to a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases.”
Northern Powergrid matches employee fundraising up to £1,500 each calendar as part of their ‘Force for Good’ initiative to the employee’s chosen charity.
For more information about Force for Good, you can visit Northern Powergrid’s website.
If you want to find out more about how you can get involved with fundraising for the British Heart Foundation, please email: [email protected]
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