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Power Link supports fundraiser during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Calais, France

Power Link supports fundraiser in Calais

Anne Ollivier lives in a small village near Calais, France, where she works at Eleclink, the new interconnector running through the Eurotunnel that allows England and France to transmit electricity between their national grids. In her spare time, Anne helps others in the community through the Agora Club, a women’s service organization founded in 1987 and now present in 23 countries in Europe and Africa, and in the United States and India.

A volunteer dedicated to helping others

Each year the Agora Club in Calais picks a different cause to work with, often involving women and girls. In 2021, their choice turned to Opale Ladies, a group in Calais that supports women recovering from breast cancer by helping them return to the sports they love. Agora Club decided to hold a fund raiser to raise money for Opale Ladies during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October 1-31) through an event and raffle. Anne turned to Prysmian Senior Project Manager Alessandro Pistonesi for his support in donating items for the raffle.

Alessandro immediately got involved, because of Prysmian’s long-standing relationship with the Calais community during the Eleclink project, where the company is a cables supplier.

“Prysmian was generous in donating jackets and other items for our raffle,” said Anne. “The raffle raised 1,171 euros, and the Agora Club Calais will donate a total of 2,000 euros that will be used by Opale Ladies to buy sports equipment.”

Anne Ollivier

The event attracted about 150 people, who enjoyed a dinner at the Calais casino and heard a speech by doctor from the hospital about the importance of regular checks for breast cancer.

Supporting the Agora Club in its work with local causes is part of Prysmian Group’s commitment to contributing to the communities where it does business. As a supplier to Eleclink, Prysmian engineers and technicians working on the project started developing ties to the local community in 2017. During Covid, the presence of Prysmian staff helped make up for a decline in transit passengers taking the Eurotunnel link. Eleclink was completed in 2021 and is expected to go live in early 2022 after successful tests in September.

“Having a positive impact on the development of the communities where we work is one of the ways we achieve sustainable growth,” said Maria Cristina Bifulco, Chief Sustainability Officer of Prysmian Group. “That’s why Prysmian Group has adopted new Social Ambition targets for diversity, inclusion, and community involvement alongside our Climate Change Ambition in support of the energy transition.”

Maria Cristina Bifulco

Chief Sustainability Officer of Prysmian Group