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Project, under which PGNiG OD, in partnership with the PGNiG Foundation, offers tangible support for veterans who fought for a free Poland by co-financing their gas bills with an amount of up to PLN 900 per year. The project originated in 2016 at the PGNiG Group as a tribute to Warsaw Uprising veterans. In 2018, it was extended to include miners who went on strike at the Wujek coal mine, and in 2020 the application process was made available to veterans of the 1939 Defensive War. In many cases, the co-financing covers in full the freedom fighters’ gas bills. In addition, PGNiG OD offered those Warsaw Uprising veterans who are covered by the Debt of Gratitude project 500 free ‘To Your Health Packages’, i.e. products guaranteeing easy and prompt access to medical services.

At present, the PGNiG Debt of Gratitude project covers 408 Warsaw Uprising veterans and/or veterans of the 1939 Defensive War. Since the project’s inception, PGNiG OD and the PGNiG Foundation have paid out almost PLN 920 thousand to the veterans. The project also covers 688 hero miners who went on strike at the Wujek coal mine on December 16th 1981 – the total co-financing for their gas bills exceeds PLN 905 thousand.

‘PGNiG Debt of Gratitude’ is a token of gratitude to the heroes for their selfless courage and sacrifice in fighting for a free Poland. The purpose of the initiative is to honour persons working to revive, preserve or restore the memory of important events in Poland’s history. The initiative guarantees tangible support for heroes of Poland’s history through co-financing of their gas bills.

Partners of the programme include: the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression and the Silesian Centre for Freedom and Solidarity.

An educational programme involving a competition for primary schools, which can apply for the title of the Ignacy School of Science and win attractive prizes. The programme also provides webinars for teachers on YouTube or Live Streaming on the bycjakignacy FB profile. More than 3,500 schools and over 50,000 pupils and students took part in the previous four editions. The 5th edition of the ‘To be like Ignacy’ programme enjoys immense interest. Although the activity of science-oriented student clubs was hindered by the pandemic, more than 2,500 schools enrolled in the programme.

Organising a blood donation drive on the Company’s premises in spring proved impossible due to COVID-19-related restrictions. A decision was made to launch an in-house information and promotion campaign to encourage employees of the PGNiG Group to donate blood at facilities of the Regional Blood Donation and Haemotherapy Centre and hospitals in the period from April 1st to June 14th. Each blood donor received a personal thank-you letter from Vice President of the Management Board.

On October 2nd, a traditional, on-site blood donation session was held at the Company’s registered office. Despite bad weather, pandemic-related concerns and the need to follow safety procedures, more than 30 donors signed up for the event and donated more than 12 litres of this life-saving resource.

On December 4th, during the Miners’ Day (St. Barbara’s Day) celebrations, no traditional festivity of miners took place due to sanitary restrictions. Instead, employees were encouraged to donate blood to celebrate the occasion.

Run by PSG aimed to promote the fight for clean air and improve the quality of life for residents of Poland’s most air-polluted cities. In 2020, due to the state of pandemic emergency, only two mobile air pollution measurement devices with external LED displays were donated during the second edition of the project (one for a Customer Service Point (CSP)). Given the need to observe sanitary procedures, it was not possible to offer free spirometry tests. During the campaign, PSG organised conferences at two locations: Bydgoszcz and Kowal. The conferences were attended by no more than 50 persons, including representatives of the local authorities, politicians, members of local governments and NGOs, journalists and residents, who care for the quality of air in their little homelands. The campaign will be continued depending on how the pandemic keeps developing in Poland.

In December 2020, PGNiG extended its partnership with the Association and will be the Polish Handball Team’s Strategic Sponsor for another four years, until the end of 2024. PGNiG will continue to provide diverse support to Polish handball as a strategic sponsor of senior, youth and junior national men’s and women’s handball teams, the Polish Cup and beach handball. The agreement with the Polish Handball Association is PGNiG’s key sports sponsorship deal.

PGNiG is the title sponsor of the Polish men’s and women’s handball league. The name PGNiG Superliga stands for league games among clubs, which compete for the title of the Polish Champion. The tournament is also an opportunity to organise a number of CSR events for fans and local communities. The most important ones included:

• The ‘We are close to you’ campaign – as part of the campaign, PGNiG Superliga women’s league made a series of short video films featuring Q&A sessions with male and female Superliga players, which were immensely popular with fans. In addition, members of the men’s and women’s teams prepared video materials showing workouts to do at home, thus supporting the #stayathome campaign.
• Superliga makes your dreams come true! – in 2020, PGNiG Superliga decided to make the dreams of its youngest fans come true. Young handball fans were asked to write and send letters describing their ‘Superliga Dreams’. The competition was won by a 12-year old Maciek, whose dream was to meet Adam Morawski, a member of the Orlen Wisła Płock handball team. They had their get-together on January 31st in Zabrze, just before the game between NMC Górnik Zabrze vs Orlen Wisła Płock. The boy and his family were invited to the hotel where the entire Wisła Płock team were staying to give him a chance to talk to Adam Morawski and to swap gifts. Maciek played the first pass, and as soon as the game was over Adam Morawski conducted a 15-minute training session with the boy.
• Convalescent blood plasma is one of the few effective therapies for COVID-19 patients with severe, life-threatening symptoms. Male and female Superliga players who have recovered from the coronavirus help others in combating COVID-19 and other serious diseases, which is why they decided to donate their blood plasma and blood. The number of handball players who donate blood to lend support in the battle against COVID-19 is on the rise.
• Training – Superliga is Poland’s only league to have conducted training for athletes and coaches of each club in communicating with the media and running social media channels. Between August and December, 14 training sessions, attended by 317 people, were organised for members of the men’s league. The training has produced a significant increase in the players’ involvement in contacts with the media and a steady increase in the frequency and professionalism of their posts on social media channels. Since the training was launched in August, the total number of their followers has risen by as much as nearly 20%. Professional communication in the media and through social networking channels is expected to further popularise the handball league and enhance the brand awareness of its sponsors.

Once again, PGNiG is the title sponsor of qualifying rounds for the Polish Beach Handball Championships. This sports discipline is a natural extension of PGNiG’s sponsorship activities as a strategic sponsor of handball in Poland. Inowrocław, Gdańsk, Stare Jabłonki, Warsaw and Darłowo hosted the five tournaments held in 2020, bringing together a record-high number of participants and, most importantly, new beach handball clubs. Successful delivery of the project during the challenging pandemic time, coupled with strong efforts to promote the discipline in the media (online campaigns and the first ever three-hour broadcast on the TVP Sport channel), have contributed to delivering key objectives of the project, namely attracting new fans, and promoting all sponsors and project partners in the most effective and attractive way.