On Friday 30th June a number of different businesses from across the City spent the day at Trinity Winchester, tidying up the garden and helping to prepare the lunch for the clients.
The event was organised by Community First as part of their Employee Volunteering Scheme. Janet Duggan, Volunteer Service Manager from Community First comments “This is the 2nd Business Community Day organised for smaller businesses in and around Winchester who often don’t have the same opportunity to volunteer as a group, unlike larger corporations. By bringing together a range of businesses they got to make a difference to the community whilst having an opportunity to network”. Trinity is a local charity working with an average of 700 homeless and other vulnerable people every year through practical and emotional support from their centre based in Durngate Place, Winchester.
Corporate volunteering has been around for a few years and is a great way of bridging charities, schools and other community groups with the business sector. In times of constant cuts of funding and grants it is more important than ever that companies support their local community. John from Innovative Creative (a Hampshire based design and digital agency) said “in an area considered one of the most affluent and desirable places to live in the whole of the UK, I was shocked to hear of the level of homelessness in the City. Even as a small business in its early years of growth, we feel it’s important to give back to the wider community. Today has been both humbling and rewarding”.
Sue McKenna, Operations Director at Trinity says “We are overwhelmed with the support of the range of businesses that attended the Business Community Day, from solicitors to interior designers. We rely on donations of time, money and items to keep our services going, and we are so grateful for this support.”
The businesses that took part in the event were: Innovative Creative, Rachel Niddre Design, Shuttercraft, Taylor Fordyce Solicitors, and The Dower House Nursing Home. If your business would like to get involved with the Employee Volunteering Scheme contact Janet Duggan or Rachel Taylor at Community First: rachel.taylor@cfirst.org.uk or telephone 0300 500 8085 ext 9724.
