Helping our corporate partners to make a real impact by volunteering

Volunteering is at the heart of what we do; we rely on the support of 2,000+ volunteers who give their time regularly to undertake all sorts of roles. In addition to this, we build links with corporate partners who are often looking for opportunities for their employees to get involved in activities that really make a difference and who want to see the impact they make in person.

In the past few years, volunteers from our corporate partners have taken part in myriad of activities:

• Abseiling down our ten storey Earlsdon Park Village with residents in Coventry;
• Skydiving with residents from Pannel Croft Village;
  Building a sensory garden at Longbridge Village – giving some of our most vulnerable residents a safe and stimulating outdoor space; plus
• Much more such as garden makeovers, cake sales and charity car washes.

This year we’re continuing to build links with more partners, including Shakespeare Martineau. Following conversations with the firm about the types of activity Shakespeare Martineau employees enjoy and what would benefit our residents, the idea of a garden project emerged. Shakespeare Martineau has this year sponsored a Long Border at the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show. The border celebrates Bess of Hardwick Hall, a formidable grande dame of her time, who also had strong connections to Chatsworth. Once the show is over the plants are being repurposed at Pannel Croft. As part of project the firm, took staff and residents from our Pannel Croft and Longbridge Villages along to see the gold medal winning border, designed by garden designer Victoria Philpott.

Now that the show has finished, the plants will come to Pannel Croft and be used to renovate its roof garden. Not content with just providing materials, up to 20 staff from Shakespeare Martineau will volunteer their time to help replant and create a new a wonderful social space alongside our residents – witnessing first-hand the benefits of their project with us.

We’re looking forward to seeing this partnership build over the coming months and know our residents will really enjoy having some new faces to get to know within their community.

If you think your staff would like to give their time and skills to benefit our residents, we’d love to hear from you. We’re always open to developing new links and partnerships, and corporate volunteering with ExtraCare can really benefit your organisation by:

• Boosting staff confidence
• Improving staff retention1 and adding to the skills of your workforce – 43% of employers think that employees who volunteer and learn new skills have a better chance of promotion2
• Increasing staff morale and positive attitudes towards you as an employer – 85% of corporate volunteers feel more positive about their employer3

If you would like to know more about how and your staff can help us to create better lives for older people, contact us at volunteering@extracare.org.uk.