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What OneFamily volunteers got up to this summer

September 2024

Written by Ines Pena, Digital Content Executive

Giving our team members a chance to volunteer for local charities is an important part of who we are.

We believe in Inspiring Better Futures , which is why we’ve made it our mission to give back to our communities in any way we can. As well as donating to local charities, we also give every team member three days a year to volunteer for a cause they believe in.

From handing out flyers to mentoring young people, find out how our volunteers got busy this summer.

Packing parcels with Phoenix Enterprises

Based in Swindon, Phoenix Enterprises is a charity working to improve the lives of vulnerable adults. The charity champions a cause that’s very dear to us - social and financial inclusion - by helping those who can sometimes struggle with typical employment processes get into working life.

Phoenix Enterprises does this by taking on packaging and assembly jobs for other companies, jobs that are then done by the people the charity is looking to help. This provides them with not only employable skills, but opportunities to form connections with others, and a sometimes much-needed confidence boost.

We’ve run three volunteering sessions with Phoenix this year, with many of our team members in Swindon showing up to assist in assembling and packing boxes, as well as to connect and share experiences with the diverse range of people being helped by the charity.

Phoenix Enterprises volunteering

“It was wonderful meeting and talking to the service users to see why they attend and what they get out of it, and of course get hands on on the production lines.”

Nicola, OneFamily volunteer

Refreshing beloved spaces at the Stanmer Community Gardens

A pocket of calm on the edge of Stanmer Park, the Stanmer community gardens are a safe space for vulnerable adults and volunteers to get involved in gardening and arts and crafts projects. It’s also a perfect place to help people in the local community form relationships with others and spend valuable time in nature.

To help keep the gardens in good condition for those who need them the most, a full team of 12 OneFamily volunteers rolled up their sleeves and spent the day doing various odd jobs in the area. While one group focused on creating new composting areas and raised beds, other groups weeded beds, harvested various vegetables and prepared beds for planting.

Stanmer community gardens volunteering

Fostering financial education with RedSTART

Like us, our charity partner RedSTART takes financial education seriously. The charity is dedicated to teaching children about money as early as primary school and, through its “Change the Game” programme, it's aiming to build evidence that show the lifelong benefits of adding money skills to the primary school curriculum.

This reflects all three of our charitable pillars:

  • Financial wellbeing
  • Access to education and training
  • Improving life chances

That’s why we chose RedSTART as our charity partner and help however and whenever we can.

One of the ways we’ve worked with RedSTART this year was by welcoming year six pupils from St Mary’s School into our offices, helping to run a workshop about risk and reward, interest and earning.

Our Chief Financial Officer, Philippa Herz, even took part, running a card game where the children risked their money to beat the dealer.

RedSTART summer volunteering

Helping young people get ahead with Spear

A charity dedicated to helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds get started in their dream careers, Spear is one of our longest-running charity partners.

We work with Spear to provide young people with valuable insights into working life and hands-on experience that will help them get into work and stay employed.

One of the main ways we do this is through hosting mock interview sessions, where Spear candidates can practice their job interview skills before moving onto the real thing, helping to not only boost their confidence but also their chances of landing their dream job!

Spear also joined us this year at our Annual General Meeting, where the charity presented to both our members and our board about its amazing work.

Spear summer volunteering

“This volunteering is a little bit out of my comfort zone, so I was a little nervous at the start, however the people organising the event were friendly and supportive. Joe, the person I interviewed was great, and he really appreciated the opportunity to practise his interview skills.

"Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and it felt more rewarding than the physical volunteering I've done before. I would recommend it for others to give it a go."

Peter, OneFamily volunteer

Sprucing up the grounds at Raystede animal centre

Surrounded by the beautiful green countryside of East Sussex, Raystede is an animal charity that rescues and cares for hundreds of species, helping to rehome those that are suitable to be pets.

Raystede is also dedicated to educating people on how to properly care for their pets through in-person workshops and its website.

Due the sheer size of their grounds and the amount of animals they care for, helping out at Raystede always means a long day of hard, physical work for volunteers, but one that OneFamily team members are always happy to be a part of.

This summer, volunteers helped clear large clumps of weeds from several different areas, including key paths around the grounds and near the kennels, improving ease of access for full-time employees and volunteers to properly care for the animals. With some spare time on the day, the group also got to work building some much-needed furniture!

Back of Ben & Tom side of Louis clearing weeds
Tom Ryan Matt Louis Ben Jason between sheds tidying up

Hiking for homeless young people with The Clock Tower Sanctuary

Just a short walk away from our main office in Brighton, The Clock Tower Sanctuary is the only drop-in day centre for young people experiencing homelessness in Brighton & Hove.

Along with providing young people with hot meals, showers and laundry facilities, the charity also offers practical and emotional support.

One of the ways we help the charity is by raising funds and this summer three of our colleagues took on the 'Hike Against Homelessness'.

Team members hiked 12 miles in the rain, from Lewes to Brighton and through the South Downs, and together they raised a fantastic £4,536 for The Clock Tower Sanctuary!

Back of Lo & Vicky Facing Camera

Caring for the gardens at Martlets hospice

Martlets' Brighton and Hove hospice provides life-changing care and respite support to people suffering from terminal illness, as well as their families. Martlets is dedicated to making sure everyone can live their last days to the fullest by providing both inpatient and outpatient essential care, as well as counseling and social activities.

We’ve helped out Martlets several times in the past, which included sponsoring a sheep for the Shaun by the Sea art trail, but one of the main ways we lend a helping hand is by helping to keep their gardens looking polished.

A haven of beauty and peace for the many terminally ill people in the charity’s care, OneFamily volunteers helped replant the garden from scratch after Martlets hospice underwent extensive building work last year.

This summer, OneFamily volunteers got to work weeding flower beds, turning over the compost heap, repairing the compost bins, shredding garden waste, mowing the lawns and even watering trees and planters.

Group shot with gardening equipment 3

“I’ve visited Martlets three times since the new building has been finished and you can really see the garden starting to come to life. It was all replanted from scratch when the building work finished, and you can see, where we planted fruit trees on our last visit, that the wildflowers have grown up underneath and roses and clematis are now in bloom."

Sara, OneFamily volunteer

Spreading the word about Team Domenica’s fundraising event

Team Domenica is a charity local to Brighton & Hove that’s dedicated to helping adults with disabilities find meaningful employment. Through their training centre, cafés and employment centre, the charity helps its candidates not only develop employable skills, but also become more independent and self-confident.

We’ve worked with Team Domenica in a variety of ways in the past, and this summer the charity needed help promoting their upcoming fundraising swimming event, 'Great Lengths'. The OneFamily marketing team sprung into action, spreading the word - in this case, flyers and posters - to local businesses all throughout Brighton & Hove.

One of the team even decided to join the event, raising £430 for Team Domenica by swimming 600 metres in 30 minutes!

Team Domenica summer volunteering

Sorting and selling at Julia’s House charity shop in Swindon

Swindon-based charity, Julia’s House, is a children’s hospice that provides care for terminally ill children and supports the families of those children, throughout the child’s illness and after their passing.

Last year, we helped out Julia’s House by sponsoring a Swindog for the Big Dog Art Trail that took over the city. We’ve continued to support the charity throughout this year by giving OneFamily team members the chance to volunteer for it.

Twice this summer our volunteers spent the day hard at work at the Julia’s House charity shop in Swindon. They helped sort donations, steamed and sized up clothing, added size and price tags and overall did everything they could to get garments ready for sale in the shop.

The money from sales at the charity shop is vital to making Julia’s House mission possible, helping to fund essential care for terminally ill children and their families.

Julia's House volunteering 1
julia's house volunteering 2

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