THE RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre has received a £1,000 donation from the Amazon delivery station in Warrington.
The Heritage Centre, which is located at Gulliver’s World, is situated on part of the former RAF Burtonwood Airbase. The Centre, which is open to the public, hosts various exhibitions including The Living History of Burtonwood, Planes of RAF Burtonwood, and The GI Brides.
During World War II, the airbase was the biggest in Europe, responsible for the handling of over 15,000 aircrafts of the United States Air Forces. Amazon’s delivery station in Warrington sits on part the former RAF Burtonwood Airbase, which inspired the team to make this donation. The Heritage Centre plans to use the donation to upgrade its IT equipment.
To celebrate the donation, a team from the delivery station in Warrington visited the Heritage Centre to explore a period of 20th century history and learn about the men and women who served at the base through exhibitions and military memorabilia.
During the visit, the Amazon team met with a US veteran who previously lived at the Airbase; former RAF Burtonwood Commanding Officer Sqdn Leader, John Tisbury.
Simon Magee, Delivery Station Manager at Amazon in Warrington, said: “We’re pleased to support RAF Burtonwood Association Heritage Centre with this donation. We share an element of history with our delivery station situated on the former Airbase, and it’s great to lend a helping hand to the staff and volunteers, ensuring the stories of the veterans are shared for years to come.”
Jenifer Siebert, a change manager at Amazon in Warrington who nominated the charity for this donation, added: “It’s great that Amazon has made this donation to the team at RAF Burtonwood Association Heritage Centre. It was lovely to meet John Tisbury and learn about his time as Commanding Officer at the Airbase, and the exhibitions were fantastic. I learned a lot during the visit.”
John Cotterill, Burtonwood Heritage Centre Manager, added: “Thank you to Simon and the team in Warrington for this support. At Burtonwood Association, we aim to uphold the memory of those who served at RAF Burtonwood and preserve this history for further generations. We enjoyed having the Amazon team visit us and the support is appreciated.”
In addition to creating around 80 permanent jobs, the Amazon delivery station in Warrington has also created hundreds of driver opportunities for Amazon Logistics’ delivery service partners and Amazon Flex delivery partners. Delivery stations power the last mile of Amazon’s order process and help speed up deliveries for customers.
Councillor Paul Warburton, Ramon (Ray) Gonzales, Aldon Ferguson and Bob Foster (RAF Burtonwood Association 2022 UK Reunion group), Sqdn Leader John Tisbury (Former RAF Burtonwood Commanding Officer), Les Ardron (RAF Burtonwood Association 2022 UK Reunion group), Simon Magee (Amazon DS Manager), John Cotterill (Heritage Centre Manager), Larissa Cal, Marcos Chainiuk (both from Amazon) and Cathy Hammond (US Association Secretary).
