Charities thank INEOS for funding

GRATEFUL: Children on a trip to Edinburgh with Hull and East Yorkshire Children’s University

By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor

Two local charities have expressed their gratitude to global chemicals company INEOS Acetyls for providing each of them with crucial funding support.

The company, based at Saltend Chemicals Park, on the outskirts of Hull, has an ongoing programme of activity to support charities in the region.

Eating disorders charity SEED has been one organisation to benefit. SEED was previously chosen as the site’s Charity of the Year, and was also nominated by employees to receive funding from the INEOS Community Fund in 2023. Overall, the charity has benefitted from over £25,000 of funding from the business.

Gemma Oaten, chief executive of SEED, launched the charity following her own battle with an eating disorder.

She said: “The support we’ve had from INEOS has been incredible.

“A lot of people who work at INEOS know me and my family, going back years, and they saw what I went through with my eating disorder, and what my mum, dad and brother went through.

“So, having INEOS decide to contribute and raise funds for SEED meant the world to me.

INCREDIBLE SUPPORT: Gemma Oaten

“INEOS have done so much for us. Whether it was holding walks or selling cakes when we were Charity of the Year – I just couldn’t keep up with everything they were doing. It was amazing.

“I don’t think we’d still be here if we hadn’t received the funding, as things are very hard in the charity sector. It’s a fight to survive, so the support from INEOS has been absolutely wonderful.

“We’re a charity that provides hands-on support and we can’t do that without staff. We also deliver support in schools and some of the money from INEOS is going towards the reboot of our eating disorder educational toolkit.

“The toolkit allows teachers to deliver sessions about eating disorders responsibly and confidently, and also teaches kids about how to spot the warning signs and support each other.

“It needed refreshing and the funding from INEOS has allowed us to do that, so we can start rolling it out in September.”

For many years, INEOS has also supported Hull and East Yorkshire Children’s University, which provides underprivileged children in the region with experiences to build their confidence. Over the years, the business has enabled a variety of experiences to take place, including STEM focused events and during 2024 is supporting five class trips to Edinburgh.

Sarah Brodie, partnership manager at the charity, said: “We believe all children should have the opportunity to succeed and the support we’ve had from INEOS has been vital.

“For many of the children on the Edinburgh trips, it was the first time they’d ever left their home city, the first time they’d been on a train and the first time they’d stayed away from home.

“The impact these positive experiences have on children is huge and, at times, life changing.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the continued support from INEOS, which has helped us reach many children that otherwise would have missed out.”

Rob Fergie is the site manager for the INEOS Acetyls Hull site. He added: “Our business has been operating in this region for more than 50 years and we truly believe it is vital to play our part in supporting the community we’re part of, so we’re extremely proud that our funding has made such valuable contributions and supported so many local people.”