Charities Supported

Solstice Nurseries

Solstice Nurseries, located on the South Deeside Road in Aberdeen, is a social enterprise which provides work experience and training in horticultural nursery and garden maintenance work for people who have experienced mental health problems and have a desire to return to or gain paid employment.

In 2009, Fairfield made a donation to Solstice Nurseries for the purchase of new hand tools and protective clothing. 

RNLI

The RNLI is a charity that provides a 24 hour life-saving service around the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland and is critical to the oil & gas industry.  Established more than 200 years ago, the RNLI station in Aberdeen is one of the earliest stations in Scotland. 

In 2009 Fairfield made a donation to RNLI for the purchase of fuel for its life-saving vessels.

CLAN

CLAN is an independent charity for those affected by any type of cancer at any time from diagnosis and beyond.  Based at CLAN House in Aberdeen, CLAN covers the whole of Grampian, Orkney and Shetland.  The CLAN 123 Campaign is aiming to raise £3million to build a new Cancer Support Centre.

In 2009, Fairfield made a donation to CLAN for the purchase of a new electronic therapy couch that will be used by CLAN’s therapists offering complimentary therapies such as reflexology and massage.

RGU

The RGU:SPORT Get 2 It Outreach Programme is designed to offer young people the opportunity to take part in a variety of sports in order to encourage a more active lifestyle from a young age. Around 350 pupils from the city’s Broomhill, Ferryhill and Kaimhill Primary schools and Harlaw and Cults Academies were offered four weeks of taster exercise classes in school, followed by six weeks of subsidised access to exercise classes at RGU: SPORT with opportunities to continue participation once the project has ended. Primary schools are being offered rowing and dance sessions whilst secondary schools are being offered dance, circuits and boxfit classes.

In 2009, Fairfield made a donation that enabled RGU: SPORT to introduce the Get 2 It Outreach Programme to five schools before the end of the year.

Cornerstone

Cornerstone is one of Scotland’s largest charities and a leading provider of services for people with disabilities and other support needs.  Individuals are supported who have a variety of different needs including those with: learning disabilities; physical disabilities; autism and related disorders; head injuries; terminal illness; dementia; specific needs related to older people; and children with special needs. Fairfield sponsored Cornerstone's first Investor's Dinner that was held at The Foyer at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen on 4 November 2009.  Fairfield Energy has continued to support Cornerstone’s important work via attendance at the charity’s popular annual fundraising dinner, the most recent having taken place on 25 April 2013

University of Aberdeen

In 2011, Fairfield provided the Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology at Aberdeen University with sponsorship for a field seminar to the Outer Hebrides.  The focus of the field trip was ‘Geology, Old and New’, the metamorphism and igneous geology of Harris and Lewis, and the landforms and deposits associated with glaciation over the Islands.

The field trip was held over two days with the itinerary including: exploration of the effects of the Harris igneous complex and its associated south Harris Meta-igneous complex; study of examples of glacial landforms and deposits in the mountains of Harris and the North-West Coast of Lewis; and examination in outcrop, Lewisian Gneiss, Lewisian complex metasedimentary rocks and metavolcaniclastic rocks, which are some of the oldest rocks in Britain.

The field trip exploring the geology of Harris and Lewis allowed PhD students from different disciplines to get into the field to witness fascinating geology, some of which may have been outside their research area, thus enabling them to expand their knowledge and encouraging open discussion in a relaxed environment.

Fairfield has continued its partnership with the Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology at Aberdeen University with sponsorship of its field trips to the Isle of Mull in August 2012 and to the Isles of Skye and Raasay in August 2013

Transition Extreme

Transition Extreme is an award winning social enterprise assisting young people in Aberdeen City & Shire to make the transition from childhood to adulthood by providing innovative sporting, diversionary and educational opportunities.  The charity works closely with the region’s most disadvantaged communities and excluded groups and the programmes help young people to understand their potential, instil them with a sense of worth and achievement, whilst developing a sense of opportunity in life.  The Centre delivers outreach programmes which provide sports coaching to the more deprived areas or those where there has been anti-social behaviour in evidence.

In late 2011, Fairfield agreed to sponsor a new outreach project in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen.  The partnership involved Fairfield working with Transition Extreme on a consultation with the local community to agree the regeneration of facilities.  From the launch in February 2012, Bridge of Don children were involved in revitalising their local skatepark in Westfield Park and in return received coaching and equipment maintenance training from Transition Extreme instructors to improve their skills and get the most out of their skateboard or bike.

The masterclasses concluded with a celebration event on 18 April 2012 with the project receiving great feedback from the young people, their families and members of the wider community regarding its positive impact in terms of encouraging a sense of ownership of the skatepark and providing young people in the Bridge of Don area with something positive and constructive to focus on in their free time.

The Surrey Care Trust

The Surrey Care Trust focuses on the education of young adults who have struggled in mainstream schooling and older adults who lack critical work skills. The STEPS programme, aimed at helping teenagers aged 13 to 16 who had been struggling in mainstream schooling, has proven extremely successful in its centres at Staines and Woking. They offer an alternative education environment and study options to help improve their life chances by providing them with confidence and encouragement and ensuring they receive practical life and work skills. With the added opportunity to gain accredited qualifications, students are presented with a second chance to progress either into further education or to find suitable employment.

In 2009, Fairfield made a donation to the Surrey Care Trust that has funded a residential trip for students and free lunches at the Staines Learning Centre for 12 months.

In 2011, Fairfield continued its support for the Staines Learning Centre with a donation to fund the cost of lunches for young people at the centre over two terms.  The students were also treated to a festive cookery lesson from renowned local chef and author Tessa Harvard Taylor who has links with the centre.  As well as following a curriculum including literacy, numeracy and IT skills, the students at the Staines Learning Centre are taught important life skills such as basic financial management and cookery.  The donation provided a budget for the young people to help buy ingredients and prepare healthy lunches at the centre.

Fairfield has further sponsored the work at the Staines Learning Centre by funding a residential trip to the Calshot Activity Centre in Hampshire in March 2013 where activities enjoyed by the young people included archery, climbing and cycling.  In addition, the sponsorship funded a day trip to London Zoo to provide a new cultural experience for the students.  These residential trips are vital in assisting the young people to learn new skills, uncover personal strengths, and experience the pride of achievement to build their self-confidence and self-esteem and their ability to work as part of a team.

Stoneywood Primary

Fairfield Energy has an established partnership with Stoneywood Primary School in Dyce, Aberdeen. Support has ranged from sponsorship for the purchase of vital equipment and school improvements to the provision of employees’ time to share knowledge and experience with the pupils.  In 2009, Fairfield assisted with the purchase of vital computer equipment to support teaching in information, communication and technology skills.  In 2011/12, the support continued when Fairfield sponsored a safety education programme to help educate pupils on the subject of bullying through innovative online training. Consequently, the Children’s Safety Education Foundation (CSEF) Anti-Bullying Community Safety Programme for all P3-P7 pupils was rolled out at the school as part of a school-wide campaign to help all pupils, from nursery to P7, to understand the huge impact of bullying.  

The partnership was further developed through the school’s participation in the month-long Micro-Tyco challenge alongside 1,200 teams from across the country.  The initiative, organised by the WildHearts charity, challenges the teams to maximise £1 in funding and the funds generated are then invested in micro-finance projects in 24 countries around the world to help people trapped in poverty.  Participating under the team name ‘Magnificent 7’s’, the pupils raised cash through a range of activities including: juice and bake sales; supermarket bag packing; car washes; shoe shining; and ‘bob-a-job’ work around the house for their parents.  Fairfield welcomed the 19-strong P7 class to its Westhill offices to learn about their progress.  As well as giving a presentation to staff during their visit, the pupils also ran a cake and picture stall, and shoe shine and nail services for staff. 

Recent sponsorship activity in early 2013 has provided the school with funding for new painted playground games such as Snakes and Ladders which has given pupils the opportunity to take part in new activities during playtime and lunch breaks.  The games are designed to improve numeracy and also help pupils develop their team building and social skills. The woodwork around the school has also been repainted as part of a wider improvement programme.  Further sponsorship is planned throughout 2013 including support for the school’s ‘Health Week’, CSEF’s Be Fire Safe Campaign and further participation in Micro-Tyco.

UCAN

UCAN, launched in late 2005, is a urological cancer charity based at Ward 44 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary which was set up to raise money for patients and raise awareness of testicular, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers.

Fairfield initially supported UCAN in 2009 and has continued to reinforce this partnership by announcing UCAN as one of its key supported causes in 2011 and 2012.  Fairfield is specifically providing support for the charity’s new campaign for 2011-13 to raise £2.5million for Scotland’s first robotic surgical equipment, which will initially be used to treat urological, colo-rectal and gynaecology patients at ARI, and also has potential to be used for cardiac, paediatric and ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgery.

In August 2011 the fundraising effort took the form of a charity hill climb. Fairfield’s donation of £5,000 was generously matched by AMEC, the Duty Holder of Fairfield’s Dunlin platform taking the total donation to £10,000, after more than 100 employees, contractors and their families successfully reached the summit of Scolty Hill in Banchory.  Kate Synott, Fundraising Manager at UCAN, also took part in the climb as part of her training for tackling Mount Kilimanjaro in September 2011.

In August 2012 the fundraising effort was blostered via a family fun day held at Raemoir House Hotel.  During the event, more than 100 staff and their family members were ‘going for gold’ to raise £5,000 for UCAN by taking part in events such as sumo wrestling, the gladiator duel and the bungee run.  There was a great range of events and activities on the day and an ‘Olympic effort’ to make the day a success for both Fairfield and UCAN.

It is hoped that these fundraising efforts will go some way towards bringing cutting edge technology to patients in the north-east.