Community volunteering goes wild in Newark with the conclusion of U&C's first volunteering month. Set to be an annual series to increase volunteering and to consider creative ways to give back to our communities.
16 volunteers from across the business and five employees from charity Sustrans combined forces last week to support the local community as part of a corporate volunteering day. Situated next to the Middlebeck development the National Cycle Network route 64 runs from Market Harborough to Lincoln and is buzzing with wildlife.
Unlike the two previous volunteering days where the weather had been warm, dry, and sunny, in Newark it was dismal - not that you would notice through all the team positivity and smiles. During the hours leading up to the event, organisers were frantically planning alternative options for 'wet weather', as the lightening struck the ground only miles away from our site. Without any large indoor space, and a group of volunteers excited to make a different, as they say in theatre 'the show must go on'. Once the electrical element of the storm moved away from the development and it was safe, we could continue activities as planned.
The well-used cycle way is naturally beautiful and often selected by Middlebeck residents for walks and cycle rides. Vegetation along the route grows very quickly and some cyclists and pedestrians leave litter behind them. That’s where the volunteering team come in handy. Installing bird and bat boxes, clearing overgrowth, and litter picking were the core activities of the day, along with an educational talk from Sustrans national lead ecologist Jim Whiteford.
Attendees during the day included PMs, CCPs, DMs, Support staff, Designers, Finance Managers, and Senior Directors, all coming together to give their time to the local community.
Urban&Civic encourage employees to take part in up to three volunteering days per year to support local communities and to promote positive health and wellbeing.
A huge thank you to colleagues across the business for getting involved in the activities, and a big thank you to my CCP colleagues - Rachel Arnold and Rebecca Smith - for the careful selection of delivery partners, planning and organising travel, sign up lists, post event PR, and all of the other comms work we know so well. Shout out to Kathryn Milward for central support of the initiative.
What a fantastic day we've had with employees from Urban&Civic, they were motivated & enthusiastic despite the terrible weather.”
Maria Desborough
Volunteer Coordinator at Sustrans
The work done by Urban&Civic employees is a big help to us, working to improve safety on the cycle path while increasing species biodiversity and homes for wildlife. There's more to do but the team made a great start on the day, thank you.”
Jim Whiteford
Sustrans’ Lead Ecologist