Community - supporting our employees
Many of our staff are involved in voluntary work with charities both at home and abroad. At British Airways, we believe it's important that we support our staff in their charitable work.
More information about supporting our employees
Click on one of the headings from the list below to find out how we are supporting our staff.
The British Airways community volunteering awards
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The British Airways Community Relations Department has awarded over £368,000 to registered charities supported by British Airways employees over the last six years.
The awards are judged on the number of personal volunteering hours our staff dedicate to their chosen charities. 54 awards were given in the 2009-2010 financial year.
British Airways Giving Scheme
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The British Airways Giving Scheme was set up so that our staff could donate to a charity of their choice, tax-free and straight from their salary. In 2009-10 our staff donated £600,000 through the British Airways Giving Scheme.
The top charities supported were:
- Cancer Research UK
- Sreepur Village Project - an orphanage in Bangladesh founded by a former British Airways employee
- High Flight - a charity managed by Flight Operations with the aim of taking disadvantaged children to their local airfield and giving them the chance to experience a flight
- The RSPCA and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
British Airways Fun Run for Cancer Research UK
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Our staff have been raising funds for Cancer Research UK since 1994 and have donated over £800,000 to date.
Since moving to our corporate headquarters in 1998, British Airways has hosted its own event for BA staff, friends and families.
The British Airways Fun Run has grown so that there are now over 3,000 people in attendance every year.
Action for Street Children volunteer programme
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British Airways Action for Street Children is a volunteer programme for our staff.
The programme involves our staff working with a choice of three UK based charities (Hope for Children, Task Brasil and The Railway Children) on a range of their overseas projects. Staff volunteers use their holidays to visit projects in Sofia, Lusaka, Rio de Janeiro and Calcutta. They are asked to give sports equipment and educational and interactive games to the project they visit.
In support of their efforts, we send tonnes of donated goods to areas where projects are based free of charge through British Airways World Cargo.
We also provide free flights and excess baggage for four staff volunteers per trip.