WORKERS who are decommissioning Hinkley Point A nuclear power station have broken their charity fund-raising record with a £27,600 donation to St Margaret’s Hospice.

Led by Grahame Newbould, whose wife was cared for by the hospice earlier this year, Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) staff at Hinkley A held a series of fund-raising events throughout the past 12 months.

Grahame was determined to give back to the hospice and spearheaded a campaign which brought together the Hinkley A community in support of the charity.

One of the standout events in the fund-raising journey was a golf day hosted at Enmore Golf Club, on the Quantock Hills, which raised more than £16,000 of the total.

Numerous other activities were held, including cake sales, a sunflower petal raffle, colleague Gary Saunders cycling from Twickenham to Bridgwater in memory of his father who had died from cancer, and Sarah Walsh, who organised a charity day in Watchet in memory of her mother.

Staff from St Margaret’s met the NRS workers for a cheque presentation ceremony at the power station, symbolising the culmination of the collective efforts and the partnership between the two organisations.

St Margaret’s community partnerships manager Kerry Baillie thanked the NRS team and praised their outstanding achievement.

Ms Baillie said: “The incredible dedication and support shown by the NRS staff at Hinkley Point A through their fund-raising truly embodies the caring spirit which runs through our community.

“We would like to say a massive thank you to everybody at Hinkley Point A for doing this terrific fund-raising for us and to everybody who donated.

“The money you give us means we are able to give patients and their families quality, individualised, and compassionate care all year round.”

Mr Newbould said: “This was a special year for us as we celebrated 10 years of charity golf days and for very personal reasons St Margaret’s Hospice was selected as the charity we wanted to fund-raise for.

“We did everything from raffles and auctions to a sponsored bike ride and a sponsored walk which helped us raise an amazing £27,600.

“All of our golfers and our friends at Hinkley Point A helped to make this happen and I would like to say a big thank you to everybody for supporting us.”

Hinkley A site director Kirandeep Basra-Steele said: “We are incredibly proud of our staff, contractors, and their friends and family for their outstanding commitment to raising funds for St Margaret’s Hospice.

“In particular, Grahame Newbould and Gary Saunders were instrumental in the process, demonstrating their total commitment to the cause.

“The amount raised is a testament to their hard work and the generosity of the community.

“We hope that this contribution will help the hospice continue their invaluable work and provide comfort to those in need.”

Hinkley A’s twin Magnox reactors stopped generating electricity in 2000 after completing 35 years of operation.

NRS has since been decommissioning the site with a focus on the safe and secure retrieval, packaging, and storing of its legacy nuclear waste.

It is building and commissioning an intermediate level waste store and installing a modular active effluent treatment plant.