150 staff help their community

When 150 people from  Bupa Health and Wellbeing UK split into groups to help their local communities – their efforts really added up.

Finance teams in Salford Quays and Staines, England, carried out five projects, making a difference to two schools, a hospital, hospice and allotments.

The 125-strong Salford Quays department split into four teams, with each one taking on a different task.

Heidi Pickup, who organised the efforts in Salford Quays, said: “It was ambitious to take on four challenges – but the team brought about immeasurable benefits.”

New outdoor attractions were created at Cavendish Primary School, Withington, including a den and wild garden areas, a sandpit, mural, netball court and donkey-shaped mobile blackboard.

Craig Porteus, whose four-year-old daughter Scarlet attends the school, said: “It was fantastic. The smiles on the faces of the children when they saw what we had achieved were great to see. We got a tremendous sense of achievement at what we had done.”

Rob King, a teacher at the school, said: “The children are delighted – there’s a real ‘wow’ factor.”

A lasting impression has been left on a community in Manchester by an on-going project to improve disused allotments.

Staff volunteered their time in partnership with Greater Manchester Cares, part of Business in the Community – an organisation that encourages companies to get involved in local community projects.

Over 30 managers began the project by spending a day clearing hedges and paths around the allotments, next to a council estate in Wythenshawe that has become a target for vandalism.

Around 40 employees took part in the next phase, clearing litter, turning the soil and making clear divisions between the allotments to prepare them for use.

Louise Hanlon, human resources Community Connections consultant, said: “This is an on-going project so we hope to send more staff on volunteering days later this summer.”

“It’s a wonderful way of transferring skills for the good of others, and shows BUPA’s lasting commitment to giving sustained support to local communities.”