Around 100 members of Bath & North East Somerset Council staff are volunteering with community groups and charities during the first two weeks of June.
This is part of this year’s Community Challenge event, which is being run in partnership with Curo, the Volunteer Centre and the Student Community Partnership.
Around 240 volunteers from eight different local employers are getting involved in 29 community projects across the area between 2nd June and 13th.
Activities include:
- Working to improve a garden at Swallow supported housing in Midsomer Norton on Thursday 5th June. Council Leader Cllr Paul Crossley and chief executive Jo Farrar will be among those taking part.
- A garden makeover at St Martin’s Hospital, Bath, on Wednesday 11th June. Volunteers will be working on a garden used by patients with dementia.
- Volunteers will be getting muddy at Chew Magna Community Farm on Friday 13th June, helping with a range of tasks including planting and harvesting.
Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Cllr Paul Crossley, said: “Bath & North East Somerset Council began to promote community challenges seven years ago, organising two challenges with 20 staff taking part.
“I’m delighted to see how much this initiative has grown and I’d like to thank every member of staff and all the councillors who are getting involved.
“Volunteering is a hugely important way of contributing to our communities and it’s also a great way for us to develop relationships with local organisations.”
Mike Plows, Volunteer Centre Manager, said: “Our ethos is to ‘transform lives through volunteering’. We believe that by offering Community Challenges to local employers, we can help strengthen their community links, utilise the skills and talents of staff and build a positive ethos within their organisation.
“Giving something back is extremely rewarding. Our activities offer staff something different from the day job, a positive experience that they can take back into the workplace.”
Vanessa Collier, Curo Community Engagement Manager, said: “Curo are really pleased to be taking part in this project to promote volunteering across B&NES during national Volunteers Week.
“As well as providing practical help, volunteering enables colleagues to get to know the communities they work in and deepen their understanding of the range of roles that volunteers carry out every day.”
The work coincides with National Volunteers’ Week, June 1st – 7th which this year celebrates its 30th Anniversary.
