We are recognising and thanking our customers and colleagues who have been involved in volunteering activities over the past year as part of Volunteers’ Week.
Volunteers' Week takes place 1-7 June every year. It's a chance to recognise the big contribution volunteers make to our communities.
We run a successful colleague volunteer programme giving colleagues the opportunity to take up to four days off a year to help in any way they can within their community. During the last financial year, 205 colleagues have used volunteer days and took part in a wide range of projects benefitting our communities with a total of nearly 80 days used.
As we celebrate Volunteers’ Week – a national initiative designed to recognise the contribution of millions of volunteers across the UK, we take a look at some of the volunteering projects both residents and colleagues have been involved in...
Volunteers helped create a new growing area at Mary’s Dean’s CE Primary School in Plymouth for Early Years children and upgraded their playhouse to make it a colourful and cosy reading space. They painted the little house, installed perspex windows, a carpet, and a rug.
We worked in partnership with our supplier, Jewson Partnership Solutions that through social value, donated £300 worth of materials and supplied a volunteer for the day.
Both areas will support the wellbeing of the children and make sure there is somewhere outside where both staff and children can make the most of being in the environment.
People living in Holsworthy received a new community fridge as part of a project that collects surplus edible food and gives it away for free.
We provided a £1,000 grant to Holsworthy Community Fridge Steering Group to help launch a community fridge. The grant will pay for the electrical connection, and other vital costs which will be based outside Holsworthy Library.
The project has brought different parts of the community together in its development – students from Holsworthy Community College built the framework of the community fridge cabin in their design and technology lessons with wood donated by local business Tamar Trading.
Volunteers planted a range of trees and build on a natural habitat to support wildlife in Cornwall.
We worked alongside The Tamar Trust and Tamar Valley AONB at Wacker Quay, near Antony, Torpoint to plant trees to improve the area. There were 420 trees planted to form part of a new hedge to prevent fly tipping into the woodland around the quay and provide shelter and berries for birds.
There were over 10 colleague volunteers for the project with the Woodland Trust providing all the trees.
Wednesday Winter Warmer (WWW) launched successfully in Gunnislake, Cornwall for the community.
The project was put is in place to combat the cold and loneliness people may feel over the winter months and for the community to have somewhere warm during what could be a difficult time for many.
Residents enjoyed free hot drinks, freshly made vegetable soup and mini baked potatoes, with LiveWest funding the groceries and free vegetables provided by Cornwall Gleaning Network.
A tree planting project highlights the importance of creating more forests as colleagues and residents from across Cornwall volunteer to plant them.
Forest for Cornwall aims to increase the hectares of tree cover by 2030 covering two per cent of land. This forms part of Cornwall Council's Climate Action Plan, and part of the Environmental Growth Strategy working to reduce carbon emissions, with the aim of Cornwall becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
The Forest for Cornwall scheme is a partnership between LiveWest and Cornwall Council and as part of this ongoing project, over 80 trees were planted across six sites that were identified during a consultation process.
Tavy Fridge, a community fridge project that collects surplus food and gives it away for free, celebrated its second anniversary with its team of dedicated volunteers.
After launching in March 2020 and receiving a positive response from the community, the fridge project has been a huge support to people with supplies being donated from local shops and markets.
A steep bank was transformed with wildflowers to increase biodiversity with the help of community volunteers. The Wild About Kingsbridge group thought the community would benefit from adding wildflowers to a steep grass bank at Squares Quay, in Kingsbridge.
Wild About Kingsbridge, which focuses on supporting the wildlife as well as protecting and enhancing its habitats, approached us to see if it would be possible. The bank, owned by us, is situated between some of our homes, and a car park run by South Hams District Council.
Wild About Kingsbridge group members planted wildflower plugs on the bank over winter. They were assisted by members of Till the Coast is Clear CIC and our residents from Squares Quay who wanted to volunteer. The project was given £1,200 thanks to funding from Jewson Partnership Solutions, LiveWest and Kingsbridge Town Council.
The next generation of beekeepers were trained to look after Ladden Garden Village’s busiest residents after a successful search by the site’s volunteer beekeeper.
Seven new volunteer beekeepers have been recruited to care for their community bees after completing a three-day course. Residents from Ladden Garden Village will now be looking after the beehives, taking over from Alan who has been managing them until they could be looked after by the residents.
LiveWest and David Wilson Homes issued a community call-out for help and jointly funded a beekeeping course and provided bee suits to ensure volunteers are well equipped as they care for the development’s smallest residents.