Community Support

Through social and educational support, we aim to bring positive benefits and to change young people's lives. We recognise the importance of making sure the future workplace is equipped with the skills that society and industry demands and by supporting specific projects we aim to help young people in the community reach their full potential.

To support this approach over the past 12 months, the community and management teams have developed partnerships with leading local universities, colleges and schools to encourage young people to consider a career in airport management.

We support the ethos of work experience by giving Year in Industry students the benefit of a work placement. This gives practical experience of work before entering the academic arena.
 
Environment and Community
To underpin the commitment to make a positive contribution to the environment, we are working in partnership with organisations to support projects which improve the quality of the environment for the local community.

As well as offering financial assistance, BAA Scotland aims to involve staff as volunteers in as many projects as possible. Their time and specialist skills are an important additional resource to projects such as Young Enterprise, Common Purpose, Young Engineers, Business mentoring and Young Fire Fighters Association. We are pleased to report that our staff gave 1,812 volunteering hours to community projects and we estimate the financial value of this contribution to be around £30,000 – this is based on man hours contributed multiplied by BAA Scotland's average hourly salary.
 
Economic Regeneration and Employment
Another major strand of the community relations strategy is to develop long term relationships with local authorities, businesses and organisations to enhance the economic, social and employment benefits to the wider community. BAA Aberdeen already work closely with the local Scottish Enterprise companies and Chambers of Commerce which bring together the public and private sector, business community and voluntary sector so that different initiatives and services support each other.

The world renowned Fraser of Allander Institute, based at Glasgow University reports that BAA Scotland is responsible for supporting almost £1.5bn worth of output and just over 32,000 FTE jobs across Scotland. In addition airport development in Scotland has contributed a further £500m plus hundreds of construction industry jobs in the last ten years.
 
Activities – 2003/04
BAA Scotland Youth Games
Over 15,000 youngsters including those with disabilities from all over Scotland have had the opportunity to take part in a large scale sporting event near each of our airports at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. 28 local authorities and Sportscotland have worked in partnership with us to ensure that local youngsters are able to reach "their true potential" and hopefully go on to reap the social and health benefits that sport can bring.
Cost: £65,000

National Fire Safety Week
Staff from all three Scottish Airports played an active role in activities and events organised for National Fire Safety week. An estimated 5,000 staff, members of the public and school children benefited from the distribution of publicity material, hands on fire extinguisher training, fire safety competitions, talks and equipment checks. The airport worked in conjunction with the local authority partner fire brigade and airport teams were out and about visiting local primary school children to underline the fire danger message.
Cost: £5,000

Alford Centre and Café Project
The Alford Centre in Aberdeen provides an in-house café where up to 12 centre members who have long term mental health problems are given the opportunity to gain work experience and training. The primary objective of the project is to raise self confidence, develop good work habits and a sense of achievement as well as gaining skills which may be of use in the work place.
Cost: £1,000

ARCHIE Foundation
Aberdeen Airport made a substantial donation to the ARCHIE Foundation which was set up to raise £3m to build a world class children's hospital for the north-east of Scotland. The hospital aims to provide overnight accommodation for parents, a chapel, a therapeutic play area, activities for adolescents, state of the art facilities and a research facility specifically designed to look into childhood illnesses. This is a project which many north east companies are involved.
Cost: £10,000

Don Salmon Fisheries Board
Aberdeen Airport purchased a new scanner for the Don Salmon Fisheries Board to allow them to count the number of wild salmon in the River Don. This will assist the board to track the current levels of salmon in the river and to gauge the numbers which return to spawn each year.
Cost: £3,000

ICAN
This is an educational charity for children with communication difficulties. It encourages children to use all formats of communication; signing, computers, voice synthesisers, raise self esteem and promotes the ethos of I CAN instead of I CANNOT.
Cost: £1,000

During 2003/04 our BAA Airports have won the following awards:

• Investors in People
• Loo of the Year Award
• Finalist in the Scottish Enterprise Business in the Community Awards
• Commended Scottish Passenger Transport Awards

Targets 2004/05

• Create a diary of events/projects which give opportunities to staff volunteering
• Create a method of recording staff volunteering hours and increase the number by 1% year on year for the next five years
• Implement internal and external communications programme by March 2005 so that airport staff can list the three aspects of sustainability and explain the sustainability business case
• Increase and record contact with our top 100 stakeholders

Charitable Donations

• Starosphere – Science Awareness Project
• Grampian Friends of Arms
• Glashieburn Primary School
• Bridge of Don Sea Cadets
• Ashley Road PTA
• New Machar PTA
• Dyce Gala
• Buchanhaven United
• Pitmeeden Pre-school
• Aberdeen Foyer Music Support Group
• Bridge of Don Swimming Club
• Child Victims Support
• Abbeyfield House
• 14th Aberdeen Scout Group
• Roads Community Café Project
• Princes Trust Team
• Grampian MS Therapy Centre – Kirkhill – Christmas Card Donation