As well as helping the British Paralympic Association make ParalympicsGB become a greener team ahead of the Games, EDF Energy is also supporting with fundraising.
Recently I was pleased to be invited to attend EDF Energy’s parliamentary reception to celebrate that the company has raised a staggering £400,000 for the BPA in the two years that the two organisations have been partners - £200,000 raised by employees with each pound matched by the company.
The target is for EDF Energy to reach £600,000 in total after three years. It’s great that they’re on track to meet this target as we head towards London 2012.
I really enjoyed the event – it’s not every day you get to visit the Houses of Parliament, and a lot of parliamentarians took time to show their support for the partnership with EDF Energy and many offered me some kind words of support ahead of the Games.
I also got to pick Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s brains about what it’s like to return to a Paralympic Games to defend your title, which of course I’m aiming to do in just a few months. It was good to catch up with fellow Team EDF athlete Liz Johnson who was there to show her support for the partnership as well.
I had a good chat with some of the employee fundraisers from EDF Energy who attended the event and got to hear about what they’re doing to raise money for the BPA. Many of them have really pushed themselves running marathons or swimming long distances, and I passed on a few of my own training tips. Having seen their determination and heard about what they’ve achieved I predict we’ll be having another celebratory event in 2013 to celebrate passing that £600,000 target.