Volunteers Week: Are you a volunteering hero?

Local charities and community groups are powered by people who give their time, energy and heart to help others. People just like you – our remarkable colleagues.

Last year, you gave back an incredible 11,600 hours through volunteering – wow!

Good for them, great for you

Whether you’re doing good together at a community garden, mentoring a young person, or lending a hand at a local food bank, the experience is often just as rewarding for you as it is for those you’re supporting.

So much so that mental health charity Mind includes ‘Giving’ (including giving your time to volunteer) in its 5 ways to wellbeing in the workplace list.

Want to volunteer? Here’s how to get started

• Reach out to a local charity or community group and ask what they need help with – it could be hands-on support or sharing a skill like graphic design or mentoring.

• Bring a friend – volunteering can be a lot of fun when you do it together.

• Start small – even an hour a week can make a big difference.

• Bring funding into the mix – offer to apply to the Doing Good Together Fund on their behalf to finance a project, event or buy new equipment.

Celebrating our heroes

Swindon Bats

The Swindon Bats provide regular activities for visually impaired people and hold an annual inter-company tenpin bowling competition.

Colleagues from our Swindon store entered the competition, donning specially designed glasses that mimic various sight impairments for some frames.

The event raised £835 for the charity and the team had a great time.

Store Manager Tom Umney said, “It was a great evening; everyone had fun, and we were actually the top scoring team this year!” 

1^st Wyre Forest Sea Scouts

Lynn Griffin from Franche Road store volunteers with her local Scout group and has created some great links between the store and the group, including selling the Scout’s Christmas stamps in store and running Fairtrade workshops for the children.

Lynn also applied for a £500 grant from the Doing Good Together Fund on their behalf, which will be used to refurbish the Scout hut. 

The Scout group is keen to attract more adult volunteers, so, if you’re local, why not join Lynn in supporting them with activities and fundraising? 

Don't forget to log your hours(whether it's paid or unpaid volunteering)

Every colleague has 22.5 hours each year (pro rata) to spend on volunteering for your Regional Community charity partner or other good causes agreed with your line manager.

If you’re already volunteering, we’d love to hear from you or find out more about how to volunteer here.