Community relations - UK
The following organisations are supported by British Airways and receive complimentary tickets.
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
BGCI is the largest professional body uniting botanic gardens across the world. Established in 1987, it links more than 800 botanic gardens in 115 countries, helping to focus their efforts on plant conservation and environmental education. With a wide range of activities, from grass roots conservation programmes to organising major meetings, workshops and training courses for botanic garden staff, BGCI has helped to create or strengthen national and regional networks of gardens in many parts of the world, including Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Russia.
BGCI's education work has become an important means to enhance the role of gardens in many countries in environmental education and awareness and it produces and distributes a wide range of educational materials in several languages.
BGCI is an independent UK registered charity (No. 1098834) funded by member's subscriptions, sponsors, foundation grants, research contracts and donations.
Visit www.bgci.orgBritish Airways at Gatwick and the UK Regions
At Gatwick and in the UK regions which include : Manchester, Newcastle and Scotland we have a small team of community champions who coordinate and support community activity. Their role is to work with members of their local communities to identify projects that fit with our corporate priorities.
Find out more about our activity in Gatwick and the regionsThe British Airways Community Learning Centre at Heathrow
We have welcomed almost 50,000 children and adult learners to the British Airways Community Learning Centre at Heathrow since its opening in 1999. The Centre offers a range of educational programmes to local primary, secondary and special schools. The activities support specific areas of the school curriculum including Customer Service, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Business Studies, Languages, Citizenship and Environmental Education.
We also host a range of holiday programmes for local community groups.
Find out more about the British Airways Community Learning Centre at HeathrowCommonwealth Youth Exchange Council
British Airways supports the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council's programmes promoting youth development and global citizenship skills and understanding.
CYEC achieves its goals by promoting high quality community to community exchanges for local groups of young people. Each project has an agreed theme with an environmental, community development or cultural focus, providing a voice for young people to contribute their views of the Commonwealth in a globalising world.
Projects supported by British Airways include; a new and innovative youth worker exchange between Bangladesh and Scotland which took place in 2005. This project meant good practice and training materials were shared and links for voluntary youth organisations were forged in both countries.
Support was also given for the Commonwealth Youth Forum held in Abuja, Nigeria at the time of the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. This Forum enabled young people to articulate their vision and concerns about development and democracy for the Commonwealth of the 21st century.
Visit www.cyec.org.ukDreamflight
Dreamflight is a charity whose purpose is to take incurably ill, sick or disabled children on a week long “Holiday of a Lifetime” to the theme parks of Orlando, Florida. Dreamflight’s aim is to bring some fun and joy into the lives of children who perhaps can’t wait long enough for the medical breakthrough they need or whose illnesses and treatments have brought pain, distress and disruption to their lives.
The charity was founded in 1986 by Patricia Pearce and Derek Perriera along with a small group of other British Airways staff, and together, these volunteers raised enough money to take a Boeing 747 full of children and helpers to Florida.
THE CHILDREN: Each year, Dreamflight asks paediatricians throughout the UK to nominate children whom they feel would benefit from the holiday. They look for children in the 8-14 age group who are, or have been, seriously ill enough to qualify for the trip, yet who will be fit enough to enjoy the flight and the busy week in America. Typically, many children with leukaemia, muscular dystrophy, cancers, and cystic fibrosis, are nominated, as well as children suffering from a whole range of other conditions. Each child’s medical history is reviewed by their consultant paediatrician before the final selection is made.
THE ESCORTS: For many of the children, Dreamflight will be their first time away from home and, of course, most will require medical treatment or supervision. For this reason, for every two children there is one adult escort, a high proportion of whom are from the medical professions. Helpers are also assigned to each group so that, while in America, each child is accompanied on a one to one basis.
THE HOLIDAY: The high point of the holiday is the two days spent at Disneyworld, but they also visit many of the other theme parks and water parks including MGM and Universal.
Visit www.dreamflight.orgGet Kids Going
Get Kids Going! is a National charity which gives disabled children and young people, up to the age of 26 yrs, the opportunity of participating in sport.
It helps promote sports for disabled children by providing them with specially built sports wheelchairs so they can do marathons, triathlons, tennis, athletics, mountain skiing, rugby, basketball etc. Get Kids Going! also helps and encourages British disabled children to compete by supporting them with their sports training, physiotherapy, and travel and also designs and develops sports’ wheelchairs for their use. Many have now become record holders and Paralympic champions.
Visit www.getkidsgoing.comMeninos do Morumbi
Meninos do Morumbi Oldham is a community performing arts group founded in 2003. The founder, Leon Patel recognized the potential for the group within Oldham after being involved with the delivery of music workshops in local primary and secondary schools.
Building upon these foundations the group has had remarkable success in attracting members of all ages and all levels of experience. The expanding membership is inclusive and welcomes social groups that would not usually access arts projects.
Meninos do Morumbi, Oldham and Meninos do Morumbi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) have worked together in their respective countries and created a global link through their love of performing arts. Whilst each of them works in their local communities, they are able to offer an international dimension to their shared and respective visions. They have immediate and medium term plans to broaden exchange visits to other musical directors and participants.
Visit www.meninos.co.ukPeace one Day
The Peace One Day film project began as the vision of one man, British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley.
Launched in September 1999, Peace One Day has gained the active support of governments, UN agencies, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, Nobel Peace Laureates, religious organisations, corporations, universities, schools, key individuals, adults and young people alike.
On 7 September 2001, Peace One Day achieved its primary objective. A resolution (GA 55/282), put forward by the UK and Costa Rican governments, was unanimously adopted by UN member states formally establishing an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on the UN International Day of Peace, fixed in the global calendar on 21 September.
Peace One Day has now embarked on a worldwide networking exercise to inform the world's people of the Day's existence, engaging them in the Day's observance in accordance with the Resolution; the finished feature-length documentary ‘Peace One Day’ has become a powerful tool in the awareness raising process.
Visit www.peaceoneday.orgBobby Moore Cancer Research UK
Bobby Moore died from bowel cancer in 1993, inspiring Stephanie Moore MBE to set up the Bobby Moore Fund. The Fund is part of Cancer Research UK, the UK's leading charity dedicated to research into the causes, treatment and prevention of cancer.
Since the Fund was set up, over £4 million has been raised. The Fund not only raises money for much needed research, but also increases the profile of bowel cancer and informs people about the symptoms of the disease. British Airways provides prize tickets for fundraising raffles for The Bobby Moore Fund.
Visit www.bobbymoorefund.orgThe Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum provides scientific solutions to global problems. The Museum has internationally respected experts leading vital research into the quality of the air we breathe, the safety of food we eat, the cause of diseases afflicting millions of people worldwide and the maintenance of delicate ecosystems struggling to survive across the world.
Research, which is underpinned by extensive collections, is focused on taxonomy and systematics. These are the sciences of naming, describing and classifying living things, and uncovering the relationships between them. British Airways has been a valued supporter of the Natural History Museum's work for more than ten years.
Support given under BA's Communities and Conservation Programme has enabled over 150 scientists to travel to key research sites to continue their valuable work. This support is invaluable and helps the Museum to deliver its core mission. British Airways is a corporate sponsor of the Natural History Museum.
Visit www.nhm.ac.ukThink London
Think London is the official foreign direct investment agency for London. It connects international businesses to London, helping them set up, succeed and grow.
Think London is a not-for-profit, private-public partnership delivering expertise and advice to international businesses. Its service is completely free, comprehensive and confidential. Its experts work with government and the business community to help companies access the best people, places and opportunities in the city.
Visit www.thinklondon.comVariety Club Children’s Charity
The Variety Club Children's Charity was established by the members of The Variety Club of Great Britain in 1949, and has been working hard to improve the lives of sick, disabled and disadvantaged children ever since.
The Variety Club has over 1700 members who dedicate their time and energies to helping needy children throughout the UK. British Airways provides prize tickets for fundraising raffles for the Variey Club Children’s Charity.
Visit www.varietyclub.org.uk