We raised more than £300,000 for charities nominated by our employees in a record-breaking year of support.

Our major fund-raising activities were directed towards eight local and national charities: WaterAid, Cancer Research UK, the NSPCC, RNLI, Sussex Community Foundation, Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice, Asthma, Allergy and Inflammation Research (AAIR) and the Air Ambulance service in the South East.

Our annual ball, based on the theme Beside the Seaside, raised more than £70,000 for three of the charities. Five hundred guests were entertained at the Hilton Brighton Metropole and the ball was hosted by broadcaster Simon Fanshawe and Olympic silver medallist Roger Black, MBE.

Our Super Irish Saturday Race Day at Fontwell Park Racecourse in West Sussex attracted 5,000 guests and also raised £70,000 for seven charities. The day featured seven races, a mascot race, charity auction and music by the Levellers.

International charity WaterAid received £10,000 raised at our 10th annual golf day in Hampshire, when nearly 150 players in 38 teams played 36 games of golf. WaterAid also received a donation of £9,000 from a team of five Southern Water employees who took part in the Cisco Euro Challenge in Norway and our staff raised thousands more as part of WaterAid’s Trail 100 to put walkers on top of 100 British peaks.

Our monthly Dress Down Days raised £10,000 for 40 charities, including Multiple Sclerosis, the Royal Marsden Hospital, RSPCA and AwaaireBear, and we gave more than 150 small donations totalling £16,000 to a wide variety of community groups, schools and organisations.