Energy and Trading Community Comes Together for WellChild at Annual Energy Dinner

LONDON, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- London's energy and trading community came together under the Platts "big top" at week's end in support of WellChild at the circus-themed, black-tie Energy Dinner held on 7 April. The event, now in its eighth year, raised more than 180,000.00* pounds in support of the U.K.'s national organisation for sick children and one of patron Prince Harry's six favourite charities.

"We're proud to be a part of this important charity event and extremely pleased to see both the attendance and the donations continue to grow year after year in support of sick children, their families and the nurses who help them," said Vera Blei, editorial director of European/Asian power at Platts, a leading global energy and metals information provider and Energy Dinner sponsor since 2004. "The proceeds will support a range of WellChild initiatives including its research, the WellChild Nurses team and its Helping Hands scheme, a program that bridges the gap between home and hospital, ensuring that family homes and community buildings are ready for young people once they leave hospital."

Complete with acrobats in harlequin-chic, the sold-out event was held at London's Park Lane InterContinental Hotel and was attended by members of the energy industry from such firms as Statoil, Chevron, CME Group, Gazprom, HETCO, IntercontinentalExchange and Morgan Stanley, among others.

"We are delighted to have the continued support of Platts and the energy industry through this annual dinner, an event which has raised more than 1 million pounds towards our support for seriously ill children in the U.K. over the past few years," said Colin Dyer, WellChild chief executive. "Many, many more companies working within the energy sector have followed Platts' lead in supporting WellChild through this event which has become a very important part of our fundraising activity. The generosity of those companies and the individuals who attend the Platts-sponsored Energy Dinner has made a very real impact on our work."

WellChild helps sick children and their families throughout the U.K. as they deal with the consequences of serious illness and complex conditions, focusing on three key areas - care, support and research. The charity provides a team of WellChild Children's Nurses who work with families to ensure that children with complex care needs can leave hospital and return home and, through its Helping Hands scheme, WellChild enlists the support of volunteers to tackle practical projects in the homes of sick children. In addition, the charity has invested more than 20 million pounds in ground-breaking children's health research projects.

In March 2007, Prince Harry became the first royal patron of WellChild and he has shown a personal commitment to helping WellChild improve opportunities for seriously ill children and young people. To learn more about Price Harry's WellChild patronage and the organisation, visit http://www.wellchild.org.uk.

*Final donation totals, including those contributed at the silent auction, are still pending.

Notes to Editors:

WellChild is the national charity for sick children and is committed to helping children and their families throughout the UK as they deal with the consequences of serious illness and complex conditions. WellChild focuses on three key areas:

• WellChild Care: The team of WellChild Children's Nurses work with sick children and their families in towns and cities across the country. These specialist nurses help to ensure that children with complex care needs can leave hospital and return home, and they are vital in the prevention of frequent re-admissions.
• WellChild Support: The practical help provided by the WellChild Helping Hands scheme enlists the support of volunteers from companies and organisations up and down the country to tackle individual home development projects.
• WellChild Research: WellChild has invested more than 20 million pounds in ground-breaking children's health research projects. We have also provided funding for the development of the Neonatal Research Laboratory at Evelina Children's Hospital in London, the WellChild Pain Research Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the Children's Research Centre at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

For more information, please see www.wellchild.org.uk.

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SOURCE Platts