A community trust operating under the wing of Stansted Airport has relaunched with a promise of £1.5 million to benefit the local community over the next decade.
The independently-run Stansted Airport Community Trust will receive £150,000 a year from London Stansted to provide financial support to charities and community projects in the area.
Grants of up to £5,000 will be on offer to causes within a 10-mile radius of the airport that support community life, leisure activities, the environment and conservation. An annual flagship award of £50,000 will also be up for grabs.
The announcement forms part of the airport’s annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which has just been published and details the work it has done over the past year to benefit communities and the planet, as well as ambitious targets it has set for the future.
The report highlights Stansted’s commitments around three key themes – Opportunity for All, Zero Carbon Airports and Local Voices – and has been published to coincide with the launch of the Government’s new Generation Aviation drive, which aims to inspire people about a career in the sector.
Robert Pattison, Stansted’s head of community engagement, said: “London Stansted is an integral part of the community and we take seriously our responsibility to be a good neighbour, provide education and employment opportunities and drive forward our sustainability agenda.
“The community trust will allow our new group of trustees to work with local people in deciding where the £150,000 annual donation from the airport goes to. As we look to the future, our hope is the community trust will bring the community together and help make a positive difference for local people.
“This is one of a series of commitments we are making with the publication of our CSR Report and we look forward to working with local people and organisations to deliver them in the months and years ahead.”
The trust has been relaunched with a new board of trustees made up from local organisations, including Uttlesford District Council (UDC). It will meet every three months to consider grant applications.
Uttlesford district councillor Garry LeCount (Elsenham and Henham) has been appointed its new chairman. He said: “The new board of trustees are representatives of the airport’s stakeholders and have an exceptional knowledge of the local area. We all have a common aim and desire to ensure the local community benefits from the Stansted Airport Community Trust.”
In the past year, the airport’s CSR work has achieved several milestones, including passing stage 2 of the airspace modernisation programme; obtaining planning permission for a solar farm; launching a carbon off-setting tool called Carbon Click; and airport staff giving up 2,000 hours of their time to volunteer in the local community.
It has also reopened its Aerozone education centre, which had been closed during the Covid pandemic, while the Airport Academy has played a crucial role in recruitment efforts, making more than 5,600 job referrals.
Added a spokesperson: “The airport’s commitment to a sustainable future reaches beyond education and employment, with this year’s report also outlining the steps the airport is taking to decarbonise not only its own operations but also those of the wider industry as it continues to recover from Covid-19.”
Stansted is part of Manchester Airports Group and in 2019 served 28 million passengers ahead of the pandemic. It has the highest public transport use of any airport in the UK and is among the best in Europe. With over 12,000 employees working for 200 companies, it is the largest single-site employer in the East of England.
