Anchor is England's largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for older people and everyday our residents enjoy meeting and socialising with our active group of dedicated volunteers.
We recognise and value the positive impact volunteering makes to people’s lives, not only the residents but equally those who give their time for the benefit of others.
Corporate and group volunteering demonstrates a genuine commitment to helping the local community, nurtures positive attitude, realigns perceptions and helps employees feel really good about the place they work. In fact it’s widely acknowledged that volunteering can increase employee job satisfaction, improve recruitment and retention and give colleagues the opportunity to collaborate together have a meaningful impact on their local community.
Over the years Anchor has facilitated a wide range of corporate and group volunteering opportunities often linked to recognised calendar events or at times when there is a need for increased publicity or interest. Here are just a few examples of the positive impact corporate volunteering can have:
Keepmoat
Keepmoat engineers assembled a new greenhouse for the residents at Anchor’s Queen Elizabeth Court retirement housing scheme in Lancashire to ensure they could grow their seedlings in time for the summer months.
Residents enjoyed tea and cakes while Keepmoat engineers erected the greenhouse. Keepmoat also provided a selection of seeds, soil, plant pots and gardening equipment to help the residents on their way.
Julie Baker, Community Liaison Manager at Keepmoat said: “Keepmoat’s Donated Hours scheme is ideal for assisting with projects such as this. We are helping to not only ensure that resident groups can continue with their valuable projects but also helping to enhance the wellbeing of those who get involved in the gardening. We would like to thank our partner Illingworth who have also supported this initiative.”
Leeds Action Group
Students from the University of Leeds, part of the Leeds Action Group, volunteer at Halcyon Court care home in Headingley on a regular basis.
The students organise a wide range of activities with residents, including reminiscence sessions, salsa, ballroom and Irish dancing, jewellery making, sing-alongs and live music performances.
Bericote Properties
Residents from four of Anchor’s London care homes had an extra special Christmas in 2015 thanks to volunteers from Bericote Properties, who organised and funded a festive party at the British Museum.
Residents enjoyed a tour of the museum, were entertained by a magician and The Salvation Army choir, before being treated to a Christmas dinner.
Activity Co-ordinator Silvana Hibell from Anchor’s Silk Court care home in Bethnal Green said: “Everyone was so excited about our Grand London Christmas Party. Christmas can be tough for some older people, who might have lost loved ones, so this event organised by the volunteers was a real boost for the residents’ wellbeing."
We regularly share news about the amazing things our corporate volunteers do, like those from Toshiba TEC who spent the day Bluegrove House care home in London, so do check out our latest news pages for more feel good stories.
