Oil rig workers on the ball to help children's hospice

The crew of Awilco Wilphoenix, berthed at Able’s Seaton Port, were presented with a signed football from the Hartlepool v Salford game and their first thought was to raffle it for charity.

Instead, they decided to keep it, but still give a donation to charity.

They chose the local children’s hospice Zoe’s Place, and rig manager Brian Taylor presented a cheque for £1,000 to hospice corporate and events fundraiser Victoria Rogers.

Brian said: “Able UK kindly arranged for some of us to attend the Hartlepool United versus Salford City FA Cup match just before Christmas.

“We were presented with the signed ball and initially we planned to simply raffle it amongst the crew.

“However, we then thought it would be good to keep it as permanent reminder of the match and our time at Able Seaton Port by putting it on display in the galley.

“At the same time, we wanted to still give support to a local charity with a donation from the crew welfare fund and chose Zoe’s Place which does such wonderful work helping children and their families.”

Victoria said: “We are really grateful to benefit from the generosity of the rig crew.

“The crew will, of course, have a memento of their time here with the football and their gift will help us to continue our work with babies and infants and their families.

“Whilst we do receive a modest amount of Government funding, we rely on the generosity of the public to help us raise the £1.2million a year we need to keep the doors open for the many families that rely on our expert care.”

The WilPhoenix rig has been undergoing multi-million pound maintenance works. It is due to return to the North Sea later this month.