London Gatwick has contributed £13,990 to support families in financial hardship through its partnership with charity FreeShop Crawley. 

Thanks to funding secured by a London Gatwick colleague, £8,990 was granted from the London Gatwick Foundation Fund and £5,000 from the VINCI UK Foundation.

FreeShop provides essential services to more than 600 people every week, offering food, mental health support, professional services and community engagement - crucial resources that help families rise out of poverty.

Barry Cullen, London Gatwick’s Employment and Skills Lead, nominated FreeShop for the VINCI UK Foundation
funding, while the charity also successfully applied for a grant through the London Gatwick Foundation Fund. He comments: “I am proud to work with London Gatwick to support FreeShop in their vital mission to uplift local families. Having grown up in an area similar to parts of Crawley, I have witnessed first-hand the challenges faced by families living in financial hardship.

“I had the opportunity to learn more about FreeShop’s impactful work at a recent event and felt an immediate connection to their cause. I firmly believe every family deserves access to the resources to rise out of poverty.”

Laura-Jane Wainwright, CEO and Project Development Manager, FreeShop says: “The support from London Gatwick has been invaluable in helping local families navigate difficult circumstances. With this funding, we can cover core costs like rent, storage, accountancy, and venue hire, as well as purchase craft supplies, storage for toys, and essential kitchen items.”

During October half-term, London Gatwick welcomed 13 families who use FreeShop to its STEM centre (Science Technology Engineering and Maths). London Gatwick colleagues led STEM-related activities for children and engaged with parents about the career opportunities available at the airport.

In December, London Gatwick’s Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) team will volunteer at the FreeShop hub in Bewbush to organise gifts for their Christmas stocking event.

London Gatwick is investing in its long-term future. The examination phase of the airport’s planning application to bring its existing Northern Runway into routine use has now concluded, with a decision expected to follow in early 2025. London Gatwick’s low-impact plan will improve resilience, reduce delays, and provide a significant boost to the national and regional economy by supporting trade, tourism, and new jobs.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION AT THE CROYDON CAREERS FAIR

London Gatwick Representatives from London Gatwick recently attended the Croydon Careers Fair, where Head of the Project Management Office, Usman Afzal, joined a panel discussion on careers in the construction and built environment sector.

Alongside industry professionals, Usman shared career insights, discussed challenges, and offered tips on navigating the evolving job market with an engaged audience interested in exploring opportunities in this field.

At the London Gatwick stand, colleagues welcomed visitors, while the construction team hosted mock interviews and provided valuable career advice. Usman also highlighted Gatwick’s multi-billion-pound capital investment programme, which is creating exciting new opportunities for the construction team and its partners.

Earlier this year, London Gatwick signed an Economic Growth Charter with Croydon Council, reinforcing its commitment to economic growth, skills development, and job creation in the area. Recent data from leading economist Oxera shows that Gatwick supports over 3,600 jobs in Croydon, and with Northern Runway plans advancing, the airport is set to unlock even more jobs, opportunities, and economic growth for Croydon and beyond.

LONDON GATWICK 'POLAR BEARS' PREPARE FOR WINTER WEATHER

London Gatwick colleagues have completed more than 4,000 hours of training as the airport prepares to deal with adverse weather conditions this winter.

Around 200 airport staff – primarily from the Security and Passenger Operations teams – have volunteered to be trained as ‘Polar Bears’ – ready to operate London Gatwick’s extensive fleet of winter vehicles, including tractors and snow ploughs, should it snow.

The ‘Polar Bears’ have been trained over the past few weeks on operating the vehicles and how to clear snow and ice from the airfield, in line with the airport’s adverse weather plan.

Mark Johnston, Chief Operating Officer, London Gatwick states: “We put a lot of planning in place for our winter operation, starting as soon as the previous winter ends. Our priority is the always safety of our passengers and staff, and to ensure they can travel through the airport as efficiently as possible.

“We rehearse our processes to make sure we get it right. While we can’t control the weather, it’s vital we have comprehensive plans in place to deal with inclement conditions as best as possible, to ensure the airport can remain operational and people get away on their holidays – particularly over the festive period.”

The ‘Polar Bears’ are just one of several proactive plans London Gatwick has in place to ensure the airport can run smoothly and safely throughout winter. Other preparations include landside volunteers - known as ‘Yetis’ - on standby to grit 27 miles of the airport’s road network, alongside its car parks and bus routes.

The airport has 70 tonnes of grit stored on site, as well 350,000 litres of liquid de-icer, and 25 tonnes of solid de-icer, alongside 80 winter vehicles from articulated snow clearing vehicles, to de-icers, gritters and snow cutters.

These preparations will help passengers jet off to more than 220 worldwide destinations this winter, including new long-haul services to Bangkok and Islamabad with British Airways, and new short-haul flights to Luxor in Egypt (TUI and easyJet), Evenes in Norway (Norwegian), and Brest in France (Volotea).