volunteering
How Local Businesses are supporting the Community
Many local businesses are increasingly becoming engaged with the local community - a few here tell you their stories about why they are involved, and what benefits it brings to their businesses.
Northern Lights PR and Harrogate Homeless Project
Carol Arthur works for Northern Lights PR, but gives some of her time to the Harrogate Homeless Project.
"It's not often I respond to unsolicited mail, but that's exactly how I was encouraged to support Harrogate Homeless Project. Manager Liz Hancock wrote to a number of local PR agencies, including Northern Lights, to see if she could find someone willing to volunteer to help the project develop a PR strategy. I knew a little about the project - in fact I had fundraised for them in the past. However, Liz's letter spurred me on to actually do something. What impressed me about Liz's letter was that she was absolutely clear what she needed and why she needed it.
At Northern Lights we have a culture of giving our expertise to support the voluntary sector - it's our way of giving something back. I agreed to help the project with the full backing of Northern Lights MD Victoria Tomlinson and my colleagues. Businesses are increasingly looking to support charities as part of Corporate Social Responsiblity but people often don't know what to offer beyond fundraising.
Charities and the voluntary sector need all kinds of help and your particular skills or business expertise can be invaluable. I am full of admiration for Liz and her team and helping the project has given me a greater understanding of the vital role it plays in supporting local people who are having a really tough time.
Royal Bank of Scotland and Bilton Conservation Group
Royal Bank of Scotland contacted the Volunteer Centre as a project team of 12 wanted to do something in the community, but they weren't sure what they wanted to do. We liaised with a number of voluntary organisations until we found the right project for them...
The team of 12, from Harrogate, Manchester, Birmingham and London came together on 4th June to work alongside Keith Wilkinson from Bilton Conservation Group. Says Keith "We planted the two new woods last autumn with the aid of Scouts from across Yorkshire, our own volunteers and 'Open Country'. Time and weather overtook us and we did not manage to lay all 3500 mulch mats to suppress the weeds. Knee deep grass was choking trees and we had to act quickly. The RBS volunteers arrived like the 6th cavalry - full of energy and enthusiasm (ours was flagging a bit!) - laid the remaining 2000 mats plus 6000 pegs, planted another 30 trees, spread 4 tommes of woodchip and mulch - and installed two memorial plaques. Support from a Company like this really adds a new dimension to volunteering and the injection of new blood and enthusiasm which RBS brought to the task in hand was really invigorating."
Matt Ford, from the Royal Bank of Scotland said "the feedback was extremely positive. The feeling was that everyone involved hugely enjoyed the day and in spite of a few stiff muscles the next day, it is an experience everyone who participated in would like to repeat and wouldn't hesitate recommend to other teams / business. I think the reason we decided to do something like this is because RBS encourage all sorts of charity work. We hear about lots of teams participating in events like these and the common themes are the positive benefits that the experience brings - in particular, enjoying the day, working as a team and contributing to help the community and in our case, the environment as well."
Prestige Relocation and Harrogate Volunteer Centre
Fiona Gilbert, MD of Prestige Relocation based in Harrogate, helps out the Volunteer Centre in a small, but crucially important way. Fiona finds properties for people either re-locating to North Yorkshire, or moving within the County and provides all her clients with a leaflet about the Volunteer Centre, as part of their welcome pack to their new home. When people are new to an area, information on how to get involved with your community can be an ideal way to make new friends and settle in quickly - and for those who already live in Harrogate, a gentle reminder that we are here never hurts! Says Fiona "I am happy to help in any way I can - and for me it's all about providing an extra value added service to my clients that helps set my business apart from my competitors".
Proctor & Gamble and Bilton Millennium Green
Proctor & Gamble contacted the Volunteer Centre wishing to take part in a team challenge in the local community. We put them in touch with the Safer Communities Partnership, who were trying to restore Bilton's Millennium Green to how it used to be and thus discourage the use of the area for anti-social behaviour. A team of 30 from Proctor and Gamble came together to work with volunteers from Bilton Conservation Group, Open Country and the Youth Offending Team to take part in a real community day. Other businesses from Harrogate including Homebase, Harrogate Timber, Connaught and Baldwin and Harrogate Borough Council made donations towards the project which has seen the Millennium Green transformed back to a useable, green space for the community.
The Youth Offending Team has commited to continue to maintain the site and the trustees are arranging for the grass to be cut regularly, so it won't be in danger of falling into disrepair again. Said Keith Wilkinson, of Bilton Conservation Group, "this is partnership working at it's best".
For more information about how your business could become involved, either click here to search our database, click here to search for a team challenge or contact:
Caroline Shead
Volunteering Development Co-ordinator
Harrogate & Area Volunteer Centre
Community House
46-50 East Parade
Harrogate HG1 5RR
Tel: 01423 509004
Fax 01423 502126
e-mail caroline@harrogate.org