The background
Over the years, the pathway at the side of the play area at Oakridge School had sunk so much it was virtually a ditch, rather than a path, making it unsafe for the children to access the play area. The volunteer groups from BeyondTrus took on the task of filling in the ditch and levelling the soil, ready to be grassed over.
Seventeen colleagues from the BeyondTrust Marlow office tackled the project at Oakridge School with two teams – half worked in the morning, and half in the afternoon. Tonie (2nd from the right above) organised the teams after finding out that the school needed help with this task through Community Impact Bucks.
Why did the team volunteer?
From a corporate point of view, it is a way of giving something back to the local community that the company is part of. BeyondTrust may be a global company but each office is based in a local community.
On a personal level, seeing the task done gives everyone a great sense of achievement. It is evident that not only does the team work together effectively in business but also in this very different activity.
Also if the school had to pay for the labour to make the play area safe, it would be a sizeable bill and by saving the school that expense, it means the money can instead be spent on the children’s education.
Has the group done this type of volunteering before?
No, the company is focused on culture and corporate responsibility globally and it does a lot of fundraising for charities, but this is first time that the Marlow office have done any group volunteering with people going out to give their time, energy and muscle-power to the community.
Would you recommend team volunteering?
Yes, it is a different experience and we will definitely look to taking on a similar project in the future.
Thank you from the Headteacher:
“The pupils and staff of Oakridge School are extremely grateful to the volunteers who dedicated their time to help us fill a sunken pathway on our playing field. The depth of the sunken pathway, with holes dug by local wildlife and exposed tree roots, made it a potential risk to pupils and staff. The volunteers arrived in force, worked extremely hard and levelled the whole area. We look forward to seeding this area and turning our playing field into a useable environment. A huge thank you from Oakridge School!”
Further information
- If you would like to find out more about team volunteering, or employer-supported volunteering, go to our Types of Volunteering webpage.
- Do you have a volunteer opportunity suitable for groups of employees? Register your interest on our Volunteer Bucks platform.
