- Cadent engineers deliver donated toys and bath products to Haven House Hospice
- Hospice was struggling to find anyone to collect and deliver the items amid the lockdown until Cadent stepped in
- Cadent is currently giving employees two days additional paid leave a month to undertake voluntary work to assist national coronavirus effort
Cadent volunteers have made a positive difference to the lives of children living with serious health conditions and their families.
Haven House Children’s Hospice in Woodford Green provides both residential and community support to families looking after children and young people who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. It delivers its services, which include respite and end-of-life care, across North and North East London, West Essex and East Hertfordshire.
Charity, The Kindness Offensive had a large donation of soft toys and bath products ready and waiting for the Hospice at its warehouse in Hackney. However, with the coronavirus lockdown and associated restrictions, they were struggling to find anyone able to deliver the items to the Hospice, until Cadent stepped in.
Cadent engineers Bulent Hasan and Mohammed Sikdar, who work in the Emergency Repair and Response Team for Cadent’s North London network and are based in Woodford, volunteered to both collect the delivery from the warehouse and drop it off at the Hospice.
Cadent Network Supervisor Shaun O’Riorden, commented: “We’re really proud that Bulent and Mohammed were able to collect and deliver these items which will bring a little comfort to children and families going through difficult times.
“Both the Kindness Offensive and Haven Hospice were really happy and appreciative of their kind gesture.”
The engineers were taking part in Cadent’s new volunteering initiative which was launched last month in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The scheme gives employees two additional days of paid leave per month to volunteer to help in the national coronavirus effort. The scheme is initially running for two months, after which it will be reviewed, based on the latest Government advice and the success of the first two months.
Cadent is the UK’s biggest gas distribution network. Its North London gas distribution network helps ensure over two million customers in the region stay connected to safe and reliable gas supplies via a network of more than 20,000km of pipes.
The network encompasses parts of Essex, Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire as well as a large chunk of London, including world famous locations such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and Canary Wharf.
Working out of depots in Slough, Islington, Fulham, Barnet, Woodford and Rayleigh in the region, Cadent also provides the local 24/7, year-round gas emergency service, having specialist teams ready to reach any reported gas escape within an hour, day or night.
During the coronavirus pandemic all Cadent staff are taking extra precautions in regard to social distancing and are using additional PPE (personnel protective equipment) where appropriate, to keep both the public and our frontline staff safe.
ENDS