Volunteers' Week celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and runs from Monday 3rd June until Sunday 9th.
Here at GC volunteering policy, Volunteer2day, allows you to take up to two days leave in any one-year rolling period to volunteer.
You can take your two days leave in hours, half days and full days, and if your volunteering is done outside of the working day, you can claim this time back in lieu.
If you have already done volunteering in the calendar year which you would like to count towards your two days, you are able to do this and claim the time back in the same way.
Starting thinking about how you and your team could mark Volunteering Week. Here's a recent example where our colleagues have been out in the community making a difference to people's lives and enriching their own through the volunteering experience:
Our Green Economy team volunteer at The Firs Botanical Gardens at the The University of Manchester
The University of Manchester Botanical Grounds is part of the Firs Environmental Research Station, located close to Owen's Park in Fallowfield. They offer a range of volunteering opportunities for taking part in gardening activities, contributing towards building a botanical garden for outreach and teaching.
Team members who supported included Amy House, Victoria Fernandez del Rio, Olivia Downham, Lola Wiseberg, Tim Mooney, Alasdair Dalzel-Job, Priya Sirpal, Katie Pepper, Oliver Holmes, Carl Hirst, Mark Shepherd, Thalia Czarkowska, Joss Bennett, Piyush Singh, Ben Peace, Catriona Watson, as well as Amos, the English Bulldog!
Olivia Downham, Net Zero & Sustainability Consultant, Green Economy explains how she set up the volunteering experience, plus how she ensured the work the team provided represented their values at Green Economy in supporting local green projects:
“I contacted Oliver at Firs botanical garden to see if our team could spend the day outdoors contributing to a local green project that supports environmental research and local people.”
“Firs Botanical Gardens accept volunteers to help assist them in various projects, such as growing and harvesting veg, weeding and planting the rockery, and doing the starting work for a cold frame. Our contribution of filling up the raised beds and turning the compost will allow for the growth of fruit and veg such as lettuce, broad beans, onions and strawberries which will be distributed to local food banks and community schemes like Oldham Foodbank. I wanted to make sure the work we did as a team represented our values at Green Economy of supporting local green projects; it’s good to know our contribution will in turn support people across Greater Manchester.”
Joss Bennett, Carbon & Sustainability Consultant, Green Economy tells us more about the Firs Environmental Research Station:
“I had a great day at the University of Manchester’s Firs environmental research station. The environmental technicians on-site were so friendly and knowledgeable and I feel I’ve learned something from them.”
“With over 100 years of active research, it is the longest continuously running research facility at the university. The site is also home to the University’s Living Plant Collection. The research station comprises a new state of the art green house facility and laboratory, the Manchester Air Quality Supersite, and outdoor experimental areas.”
Lola Wiseberg, Market Intelligence Officer, Green Economy told us what the day meant to her:
“It was really rewarding to spend a day at the botanical garden getting our hands dirty. Being outdoors surrounded by nature had clear benefits for our team and we’re all keen to get involved with something like this again. I’d highly recommend that people seek out outdoor volunteering opportunities related to environmental projects.”
Priya Sirpal, Business Consultant, Green Economy explains what it means to volunteer as a team:
“It’s so important to have volunteer days like this as a team. Not only for building work relationships but it also highlights the importance of a work-life balance. I highly recommend looking for local sustainability projects for you and your team to contribute to, we all had a blast!”
