Work from home call centre colleagues distribute almost £7,500 to regional charities

Key workers from United Utilities call centres have racked up almost £7,500 for local charities during lockdown – and the figure is still rising.

Managers at United Utilities’ two call centres in Warrington and Whitehaven, Cumbria, are keeping up the team spirits of their 700 staff, most of whom are working from home, by letting them nominate charities close to their hearts for a £500 weekly boost at each site.

It’s long been a traditional at the call centres to raise money for a different charity every week.

So far, colleagues have nominated 12 good causes over five weeks, each of which gets a £500 cheque, plus whatever the staff manage to raise themselves through online activities like dress-down days, bake-offs and football keepy-uppy competitions.

The grand total of money raised and donated is £7, 470.50. Charities to benefit are:

• Whitehaven Hospital
• Warrington Foodbank
• Mirehouse Residents Group
• Halton Haven Hospice, Runcorn
• Age UK West Cumbria
• ScrubHub
• Carla Lane Animal Hospital, Liverpool
• Jack’s Journey
• Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Liverpool
• Hospice at Home West Cumbria
• Willowbrook Hospice, Prescot, Merseyside
• North Lakes Foodbank

United Utilities call centres deal with thousands of customer queries and staff there are key workers, not least because they support customers through difficult times, offering payment breaks on their bills, or signposting them to one of the company’s many assistance schemes.

Customer services and people director Lou Beardmore said United Utilities was giving £500 of charity cash a week for each of the company’s two call centres in Whitehaven and Warrington.

Staff in both locations will choose a different local charity every week.