Sunderland businesswoman pledges £10,000 of support to charities hit by pandemic

Anne Ganley’s Thompson Waste Centre has recycled 10,000 tonnes of waste during lockdown, repurposing everything from timber to glass to help protect the environment.

Now she has vowed to donate £1 for every tonne to local good causes.

Anne has already given her first £1,500 donation to St Benedict’s Hospice.

She said: “It’s been a very hard time for businesses during COVID-19 so those who support local charities may understandably not have been able to give them any funds.

“We’ve been in the fortunate position that we have been busy throughout and have recycled a huge amount of waste and we want to give something back to help organisations which are having a really tough time.”

A spokesman from St Benedict’s Hospice thanked Anne and the centre, in Hendon, for their ongoing support.

He added: “All of her kindness is hugely appreciated here at St Benedict’s Hospice. Right now the charity is facing one of the most challenging periods of our existence, with such huge income generating events such as the Great North Run, our now annual skydiving event and even our annual charity Sunflower Ball are all affected by Covid-19 and unable to go ahead.

“For a hospice that touches lives of an estimated one in three people across Sunderland, we rely heavily on the generosity of people like Anne to ensure we continue to deliver our services across the region.”

Anne also will now be giving out varying amounts to charities and organisations which need support over the rest of the year, as well as lessening the environmental impact caused by waste by recycling.

The company recycles around 97% of the waste it receives and is constantly looking at new ways to lessen the amount which goes to landfill.

Among the products it is able to reuse is timber that goes to power plants to help with energy production, bricks which are used by the construction industry and plasterboard which is used in farming.

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