Media Centre
Thursday 24 June 2010
Flight 85N Memorial Fund to Close at End of July
The memorial fund set up by the UK offshore oil and gas industry soon after the loss of helicopter Flight 85N over the North Sea on 1 April 2009 will close at the end of next month.
On 31 July the fund, which was established in memory of the 16 offshore oil and gas workers and members of the helicopter crew who died in the tragic incident, will be finally closed.
Malcolm Webb, chief executive of Oil & Gas UK and chairman of the North Sea Flight 85N Memorial Fund, said: “The general public as well as companies and individuals from across the oil and gas industry responded with tremendous generosity and together raised nearly £370,000. Now, fourteen months after the tragedy, the fund is only receiving the occasional donation and it is the right time to distribute the remaining monies and close the account.
“However, anyone still wishing to give money to the fund will have until the end of July to do so”, he added.
So far, £330,000 has been distributed through the fund to 11 different charities selected by the families who lost loved ones in the incident. Money has also been used to create two symbols of remembrance in Aberdeen: an obelisk and seating in Johnston Gardens; and a specially commissioned wooden cabinet to house the original book of condolence by the Oil Chapel in the city’s Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting.
Any residual funds at 31 July will be distributed by the Charities Aid Foundation, the fund administrator, to the same 11 charities originally chosen by the families. Anyone wanting to make a final donation to the fund should go to http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/knowledgecentre/north_sea_flight_fund.cfm for details.
ENDS
For further information, contact Britta Hallbauer on 01224 577331 or bhallbauer@oilandgasuk.co.uk
Note to Editors
- Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its members are licensed by the Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters and those who form any part of the industry’s supply chain.
- The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is a charity set up to help other charities by working with donors, companies and charities to encourage and facilitate a culture of giving. They do this by offering products and services that make giving easier, tax efficient and help charities to make the most of donations through their banking and fundraising support services. (www.cafonline.org)
- While CAF acts as trustees and administers the allocation of funds to the relevant charities, its activities have been guided and the charities chosen by the families of the 16 men who died, via an industry management committee whose members comprised representatives from the companies affected by the helicopter tragedy, the UK Oil and Gas Chaplaincy and Oil & Gas UK.
- The charities chosen by the families are the RNLI, CLAN (the Aberdeen-based cancer charity), Create (the Aberdeen-based learning disabilities charity), Cancer Research, Alzheimer Scotland, Help for Heroes, Jump for Heroes, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, St Richards Hospice in Worcester, West Midlands Air Ambulance Service and the Oil Chaplaincy Trust.
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