Phoenix Energy is helping the communities that it operates in through its Community Fund which was established earlier this year.
St. Colm’s Highschool in Dunmurry is the latest recipient of a Phoenix Community Fund grant, enabling them to launch the Bookbuzz initiative in their school. Bookbuzz is a reading programme from BookTrust which helps schools inspire a love of reading in 11 to 13-year-olds, by giving them the opportunity to choose their own book to take home and keep from a list of 17 titles. Every book is carefully selected by a panel of experts to ensure quality, suitability and to encourage reading for pleasure, especially for those more reluctant readers.
Adrian Walsh, Principle at St. Colm’s was delighted at the range of books received by the school. He said: “At St. Colm’s we place a great emphasis on reading for pleasure. We recently converted one of our storage rooms into a wonderful library space where the pupils can come and select a book from a range of titles and genres. Having the new Bookbuzz books, thanks to Phoenix Energy, will further inspire the pupils to engage with the library and hopefully further their love of reading, especially for the more reluctant readers.”
Speaking ahead of the event David Greer from Saintfield Development Association said: “After a challenging two years for many locally, we’re delighted to be hosting a family fun day that will showcase the centre, its facilities and the classes on offer to the wider community. The invite to come down is open to all for what promises to be a great day of entertainment and fun.
“We would like to thank all the volunteers who have helped us plan the Open Day and a special thanks to Phoenix for their support.”
Rebecca Dalzell, Communications Manager at Phoenix Energy said: “Helping to create thriving and connected communities has been a central theme of our business approach over the last 25 years and we’re delighted that the Saintfield Development Association and wider community will be the first to benefit from our newly launched Community Fund.
“Designed to help reduce social isolation and encourage inclusion, the Saintfield Community Centre Open Day is a fantastic fit with the Phoenix Community Fund and we look forward to seeing lots of families and residents come along and enjoy a great event on Saturday.”
Open now, the Phoenix Community Fund welcomes applications from community groups and organisations big and small across the Phoenix Energy licence area that are working to reduce social isolation, remove barriers to inclusion and promote equality in their area.
Further information on the Phoenix Community Fund is available at: www.phoenixnaturalgas.com/phoenixcommunityfund