Wednesday, 19th December, 2018
Cory Riverside Energy donates £130,000 to ensure survival of Crossness Pumping Station
Cory Riverside Energy is delighted to announce that it will donate £130,000 to secure the future of Crossness Pumping Station as an asset for the local community.
After asbestos was found in the Beam Engine House in 2017 key areas of the building had to be closed to both public and the Trust’s volunteers, with the facility facing an uncertain future if funding could not be secured to rectify the hazard. The money from Cory will be now used to clear the asbestos in the Beam Engine House and ensure that the facility can be used as an education centre for local children, with a particular focus on strengthening their capabilities in the topics of science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Cory has a long-standing commitment to helping the communities and areas in which it operates. This includes the development of the Belvedere Beach, a child’s playground situated in the Borough of Bexley which opened in 2017. In 2018, Cory also partnered with Thames 21, the Zoological Society London and Tideway to recycle over 4,000 discarded plastic bottles collected from the Thames.
This new donation underscores Cory’s commitment to developing STEM skills for the next generation of engineers and technicians. Cory has held several open days throughout 2018, where local children have been invited into our world-class energy recovery facility in Belvedere to learn about how we turn London’s litter into London’s light.
Commenting on the donation, Group Chief Executive, Nicholas Pollard, said: “Known as ‘The Cathedral on the Marsh’, Bazalgette’s masterpiece of engineering provides a testament to the abilities and responsibilities of engineers to work for the good of our society and improve our environment. We are delighted to be supporting the local community and developing the interests and skills of the next generation of engineers.”
Commenting on the donation, Mike Jones, Company Secretary of the Trust said: “The discovery of asbestos presented a critical challenge to the Trust. A significant contribution from Thames Water allowed us to start work on dealing with the problem but we knew we did not have the money to complete the task. The donation from Cory came at just the right time and we can now plan for a full programme of activities in 2019, confident in the fact that the asbestos will have been dealt with”
Commenting on the donation, London Borough of Bexley’s Cabinet Member for Places, Cllr Peter Craske said: “Crossness Pumping Station is one of our borough’s most treasured heritage sites, it’s history and the educational value bring so much to so many. Cory’s help to keep it open is beyond generous and we are extremely grateful for their much-needed support.”
We are delighted to be supporting the local community and developing the interests and skills of the next generation of engineers.