CENTENARY celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the port of Immingham raised more than £120,000 for worthy causes in the town.
Yesterday, port director John Fitzgerald officially handed over the Immingham Legacy Fund to the community group One Voice and Oasis Academy Immingham.
A giant crane hoisting up a large medallion bearing the total sum raised – £121,500 – provided a spectacular backdrop to the presentation ceremony.
The money was raised through a series of events held last year to mark the centenary of Immingham Docks under the banner of Immingham 100.
Organised by Associated British Ports with support from Immingham Town Council and One Voice, events included a community day at Blossom Way sports field, a lunch for 100 pensioners at the academy as well as various fundraisers such as a football competition at Bradley Pitches, the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge and a Grimsby Dock Tower abseil.
Donations were also made by several companies.
The majority of the money will go to One Voice, while a £10,000 donation by Oxbow Coal Ltd – the largest single donation – will be used by the Oasis Academy to set up a new literacy programme.
Port director John Fitzgerald said: "I had privately set myself a target of raising £100,000 so we are delighted to have achieved that.
"For me, 2012 was the year of 100. We were celebrating 100 years of the port and we handled our 100 millionth tonne at one of our terminals.
"The whole event was a celebration but I also wanted to achieve something tangible out of it. The funding provided to One Voice will put them on a stable financial footing and enable them to support lots of different projects in the community. That to me is a real legacy."
Kevin Rowlands, the principal of Oasis Academy Immingham, said: "We will take this opportunity to develop our learning resource centre to make sure the materials are current, engaging and motivate our students to come and read for pleasure.
"The intention is also to support our primary school partners with students who are falling behind with their reading. If we can raise literacy standards across the town that will be a great legacy."
Mike Cusick, managing director of Oxbow Coal Ltd, said: "Given our long association with ABP it seemed entirely fitting for us to donate some money to the legacy fund and we are delighted to be part of it."
The Mayor of Immingham, Neil Castle, said: "It is a fantastic amount of money and I am sure it will be used to enhance the lives of the residents."
Log onto www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk, where you will find previous stories about the Immingham 100 celebrations.
