November 14, 2012, 12:48 pm -- /EPR NETWORK/ -- As Children in Need returns to screens on Friday 16th November, staff at the npower call centre in Burton are gearing up for a busy night.
More than 160 npower employees have volunteered their time to man 96 dedicated phone lines, taking donations throughout the entire live BBC broadcast. This is the second year the team at Burton has been selected as the BBC's regional call centre for the West Midlands, having taken more than 5,250 calls and £175,000 in donations in 2011.
After last year's success, npower is doubling the number of dedicated lines and staff will be taking donations from 6.30pm on Friday until 2.00am Saturday.
Last year, more than £9 million was taken in donations by the 55 regional call centres across the UK, which saw Children in Need raise a staggering £26 million on the night.
Paul Walker, contact centre manager for npower in Burton, commented: "We are thrilled to be representing Children in Need again this year, and we have many new and returning volunteers keen to be involved. Many of our volunteers will be finishing a normal working day before hitting the phone lines.
"To get everyone in the fundraising mood and keep them going through the night we will be donning fancy dress, with the theme being ‘back to school’, as well as various other activities and games to raise money. A number of local food outlets have also donated food to keep our volunteers energised through the evening.
"We've decided to increase the number of phone lines on the night to ensure that those wishing to contribute to this year's grand total have an opportunity to do so, and we're expecting a very busy night."
The npower team has been building up to the big event on Friday with a range of fundraising activities including dress down days, raffles and quizzes. npower has also pledged to add £5,000 to any money raised by the Burton team for Children in Need.
Paul Walker added: "The response from staff has been amazing, and it's great that we have this opportunity to use our resources and expertise to support the cause in the best way we can."
Children in Need is dedicated to making a difference to the lives of children across all of the UK. Its vision is that every child in the UK has a childhood which is safe, secure and happy and allows them the chance to reach their potential. The charity also provides grants for projects which focus on children and young people.
This year's live show promises to be bigger and better than ever and every penny raised or donated through call centres like npower's will go towards helping disadvantaged children in the UK.
About npower
npower is one of Britain's largest electricity suppliers and
supplies gas, electricity and related services to 6.6 million customers across the
UK. npower supplies green energy to Wembley Stadium and the Liberty Stadium in
Swansea. npower is a market leader in renewable energy and sources the green energy
for juice directly from renewable sources, at no extra cost. npower has been awarded
platinum status in Business in the Community’s CR Index and is one of 29 companies
to have achieved the CommunityMark since its launch. All CommunityMark achievers
have been recognised for demonstrating excellence in their holistic and strategic
approach to community investment. Join the energy industry discussion on npower's
interactive debating website the brighter energy debate where users can post
questions, views and comments. npower is also on twitter (@npowerhq), YouTube and
Facebook.
PR Contact:
Sunita Patel
Bridgwater Road
Worcester
WR4 9FP
0845 070 2807
www.npower.com