Yorkshire Water has raised £20,749 for WaterAid at its annual spring ball at the New Docks in Leeds, which was attended by almost 400 of its employees.
Anna Murphy, senior project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “The spring ball is one of our most popular events and a firm favourite with both our internal colleagues and our partner organisations.
“For us to be able to raise this much for such a brilliant cause is fantastic news. It is a testament to all the hard work put in by the team and we look forward to continuing to work with WaterAid and supporting their team in Ethiopia with the Big Wish initiative.”
The Big Wish Initiative launched in 2015 as a youth engagement programme for Ethiopia with the aim of educating young people and providing clean water supplies. Its target is to reach £1 million by March next year, the figure currently stands as £845, 000.
Gillian Wilcox, WaterAid’s team leader for water industries, added: “Yorkshire Water goes above and beyond in their support for those less fortunate than ourselves. From incredible fundraising activities like this glamorous ball, to visiting projects they’ve helped to fund in Ethiopia, they know exactly where the money goes and how they can add even more value to the communities through training and advice.
“We’re so proud of our ongoing relationship with Yorkshire Water, and would like to warmly thank them for all their support over these 35 years.”
Between 2015 and 2016, Yorkshire Water raised £181,540 for the charity, equating to enough water for 12,102 people.