Leading North East energy company Great Annual Savings has been announced as the Official Energy Partner of Beacon of Light.
Formed to provide business cost saving services to companies in the North East of England, Great Annual Savings has now grown from a regional enterprise to a national provider.
The Beacon of Light is an award-winning sport and community hub which opened last year on Stadium Park.
Home to Sunderland AFC’s official charity, Foundation of Light, the Beacon offers sport, education, employability and health programmes for all ages and abilities.
Winner of 10 awards in 2019, including Sunderland Echo’s Social Enterprise award and RIBA Great British Buildings programme, the Beacon welcomes over 6,000 people a week through its doors and houses six state-of-the-art 5-a-side football pitches, a 4G football pitch on the roof and a multi-sport indoor arena.
The award-winning facility offers the best value for money football facilities anywhere in Sunderland, with all proceeds donated to Foundation of Light to support its award-winning programmes across Sunderland, South Tyneside and Durham.
Initially signed for three years, the partnership is set to provide the Beacon with considerable cost savings across the year, which will have a positive impact on the Foundation of Light, allowing more money to be donated to its life-changing programmes.
Great Annual Savings will also lend its support to the Foundation’s skills and employability programmes by providing work placements, learner engagement, staff volunteering and employment opportunities for participants.
Beacon of Light General Manager, Phil King said, “We are delighted to welcome Great Annual Savings as the Official Energy Partner of the Beacon of Light.
“They are a great business to work with and from the very beginning it was clear they had the best interests of both the Foundation and Beacon at heart.
“We are delighted that not only are they saving us money, but they are providing hands-on support to our learners through work placements and employment opportunities.”
Phil Andrew, Associate Corporate Director at Great Annual Savings, said: “This is wonderful news for both the Foundation and ourselves.
“At Great Annual Savings we are passionate about having a positive impact on the communities in which we operate and our partnership with the Beacon of Light allows us to do this.
“We are proud to help support the award-winning work that goes on in the Beacon. We are looking forward to getting thoroughly embedded in the work that they do and offering support wherever we can.
“As part of our partnership, Clair Cogdon will be joining the Great Annual Savings team and working closely with the Beacon of Light.
“Clair has worked for Sunderland AFC for more than 30 years and offers a wealth of commercial knowledge that will help us make the partnership a success.”
To find out more about the Beacon of Light visit www.foundationoflight.co.uk/beacon-of-light
For more information on how Great Annual Savings Group save businesses money and how they could help your business, visit www.greatannualsavings.com