Earlier this month, we swapped our business attire for gardening gloves, goggles and pond waders. 17 colleagues from the London offices took to Evergreen Adventure Playground in Hackney and volunteered their time and energy to maintain the site.
Evergreen is a charity that provides free, supervised and challenging play to all children aged 5 - 15. Their inclusion project has been noted as a model of good inclusive practice in Hackney and beyond. Children with disabilities are integrated into mainstream play sites with support, and all activities are inclusive and adapted to suit a child’s needs.
The playground is a space where children can thrive but with just 2 full time members of staff, volunteer support is essential. The TMHCC team were building ramps to keep the playground accessible, clearing out the pond, cleaning the sports pitch and cutting back overgrown areas.
Pat and Arnold, the play leaders, expressed their thanks to the team, saying “Thanks to the TMHCC team yesterday for all the hard work. It's really appreciated and as you could see, made a huge difference to the playground. Hope the team enjoyed themselves and aren't too achy!”
The volunteers also enjoyed the day and gave great feedback "I thoroughly enjoyed the volunteering day and will most certainly be signing up for the next one if I can. I’ve already spread the word around my team on how rewarding it was."
All TMHCC employees can take up to 2 paid days per year to take part in volunteering or fundraising for any charity. We volunteered during Volunteers’ Week in June, a time to recognise the contribution that volunteering makes to our communities. Find out more about our Charity Programme here.