Birmingham Airport colleagues make a difference through charity and education initiatives
From supporting young patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital to inspiring future careers in aviation, colleagues at Birmingham Airport (BHX) have been supporting the local community.
As part of the airport’s ongoing commitment to creating social value across the Midlands, colleagues from across BHX visited Lea Forest School for an interactive Health and Safety Week workshop, introducing the students to the world of aviation.
The workshop involved the entire primary school, with airport vehicles taking centre stage on the playground. Pupils had the opportunity to explore a range of specialist airport equipment up close, including a fire vehicle, engineering vehicles, an operations vehicle and a tractor used across the airport site.
The hands-on experience gave students a unique insight into the variety of roles required to keep an airport running safely and efficiently, while providing an exciting opportunity to learn more about careers in aviation. Throughout the day, pupils were able to meet BHX colleagues, ask questions and discover how different teams work together to maintain airport operations and safety.
Elsewhere, 11 colleagues recently visited Birmingham Children’s Hospital, the airport’s chosen charity partner, to see first-hand how their fundraising makes a difference for the patients and their families.
To date, BHX has raised just under £200k for BCH in just 18 months, with plenty more fundraising activities planned for the rest of the year.
During the visit, the team were given a tour of the hospital facilities, including the recently opened MediCinema, a dedicated cinema space designed to help young patients relax and enjoy time away from the clinical environment during their treatment.
The visit also allowed six colleagues to support the hospital’s Art Cart initiative, which provides young patients with creative activities that bring fun, distraction, and a sense of normality to their hospital stay. Through ongoing volunteering and fundraising, BHX colleagues continue to look beyond financial contributions to support the hospital.
These visits are part of a wider community lift-off programme, where colleagues are encouraged to use their one day of paid volunteering. BHX colleagues contributed more than 740 volunteer hours in the last financial year to community initiatives across the Midlands.
Tom Denton, Head of Sustainability of Birmingham Airport said, “Interacting with our community is something we pride ourselves on. Whether we’re supporting charities or working with local education providers, we want to make a positive impact for those around us as one of the largest employers in the region. If even one young person leaves inspired to consider a career in aviation or a child’s time in hospital is made even a tiny bit better because of our donations and support, then we know we’ve achieved something worthwhile.”
To learn more about BHX’s community initiatives, visit here.