NET raises over £11,500 for Nottingham community groups

NOTTINGHAM Express Transit (NET) has completed a successful 12 months of support for local community groups, charities and initiatives, with a total of £11,573 in funds raised. 

Over the course of the year, key partnerships included support for Aspley Food Bank, which saw the team donate food and household essentials on a monthly basis, while NET staff volunteered at the food bank over the Christmas period. In 2024, the team will be taking the partnership further, with both monetary and community commitments set to continue throughout the year. 

Meanwhile, 2023 saw NET further develop its longstanding partnership with Nottingham community support group, The Pythian Club, by continuing its work alongside the club to support the city’s youth. This included joint ventures to local schools to educate on tram safety and anti-social behaviour, as well as raising £4,500 for the Club and its initiatives.  

Other fundraising contributions were made throughout 2023 for local community charities such as Nottingham Central Women’s Aid and Framework. Here, NET participated in a charity golf day, hosted by Rothera Bray, which raised £5,902. Alongside these wider company campaigns, NET staff were encouraged to support their own personal fundraising initiatives during 2023, all of which were fund matched by NET.  

Becki Horne, business engagement manager at NET said: “We’re aware of our position as one of Nottingham’s fundamental infrastructure businesses and therefore how we can help the people of Nottingham with more than just their travel needs.  

“We’ve had a fantastic year of support and fundraising which has seen us partner with some brilliant local causes like The Pythian Club, Aspley Food Bank and Nottingham Central Women’s Aid who work hard to offer care and support to so many across the city.  

"At a time when charities all across the UK are really feeling the pinch more than ever before, we remain committed to supporting the many charities and causes across the city that do such fantastic work helping those who need it most. Looking ahead to 2024, we’re looking forward to taking our efforts even further, and helping even more Nottinghamshire charities, community groups and local initiatives.” 

Last year also saw NET partner with visual communication experts Widgit, to provide newly enhanced travel aids on trams for those that may need additional support when travelling. Last year, the aids helped a group of special needs passengers easily travel to Nottingham’s Christmas Market, a trip that would not have been possible otherwise. Meanwhile Widgits’ digital aid has been downloaded over 1,000 times to date. 

Becki added: “In addition to support for the community through working with local causes, we’re also really passionate about seeing what we can do ourselves to ensure we’re supporting as many of our passengers as possible. The introduction of our Widgit travel guides last year was a key part of that, ensuring that as many people as possible were able to travel around the city for days out, work, study and more.” 

To find out more about Widgit, here. 

For more information about Tramlink, visit https://www.thetram.net/