SUEZ funds festive cheer for 34 North East charities
A technical consultancy service operated by SUEZ recycling and recovery UK has this week donated a year’s profits worth more than £40,000 to 102 charities across the UK, including £13,250 to 34 charities across the North East – bringing festive cheer to thousands of people.
Established five years ago by SUEZ Chief Technical Development and Innovation Officer Stuart Hayward-Higham, SCOPE designs and implements solutions for organisations looking to reduce waste and maximise resources at every stage in their value chain. Dividing the profits generated by those solutions among local charities as part of the Scope Christmas Fund ensures those value chains deliver social as well as environmental benefits.
The charities are chosen by members of the 7000-strong SUEZ workforce, many of whom have already donated time to support their nominated organisation as part of the SUEZ ‘Day a Year to Volunteer’ programme where colleagues are encouraged to take an extra day of paid leave to help a good cause in their area.
Stuart Hayward-Higham said: “The SCOPE fund is result of our team using their expertise to produce bespoke solutions for our customers which deliver environmental, financial and resource efficiency benefits.
“However, innovation can deliver much more in terms of social capital and the not-for-profit status of the SCOPE programme means businesses that use us can see social as well as environmental outcomes for themselves and communities across the UK.”
Each of the Scope Christmas Fund beneficiaries receives a donation of either £250 or £500 to spend on the people they help, whether that’s a special gift, a Christmas lunch or bringing some seasonal cheer to the community.
The Recruitment Junction, a Newcastle-based charity that helps ex-offenders back into work, used their donation to boost their Big Give ‘Hampers and Hardship’ crowdfunder campaign.
Said Founder Beverley Brooks: “I want to send everyone at SUEZ a huge ‘thank you’ for your donation towards our Big Give ‘Hampers and Hardship’ crowdfunder campaign, which in spite of a difficult economic climate has again been our most successful yet.
“SUEZ’s generous contribution purchased 20 fantastic hampers that we have been able to gift our job seeking candidates, out of a total 75 hampers and 150 small Christmas presents that we’ve been able to pack and deliver. The remaining monies have been allocated to our Hardship Fund, which will be used throughout next year to provide practical help to assist people into work.”
“The recipient of one hamper said: 'You've made my day... no, you've made my Christmas'. It’s such a smashing thing to be able to make this kind gesture at what could otherwise be a really difficult time of year for some people and their families. Thank you so much for being a part of this now and into 2026.”
Leanne Riddell, Team Administrator at Boldon Girls Under 10s Diamonds based in South Shields, said: “On behalf of everyone at the club, we would like to say a huge thank you to SUEZ for their incredibly generous donation towards our Christmas party. Thanks to their support, the girls enjoyed an unforgettable afternoon, from bubble football to food, music and Christmas bags. For many of the girls, this wasn’t just a party – it was a chance to celebrate their hard work, teamwork and friendships in a really memorable way. Seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter showed just how much this support meant.
“We are incredibly grateful to SUEZ for choosing to support girls’ grassroots football in our community and helping to create such a memorable Christmas for our team.”