Black Country businesses give their backing to Give & Gain Day

The single biggest employee volunteering event ever held in the Black Country took place today, with seven businesses using their talents to develop reading gardens, outdoor classrooms and promoting enterprise.

As Chair of the Black Country Community Operations Team, I am delighted to see so many businesses committing resources to  ‘Give & Gain Day’ to ensure a positive difference is made in their communities

Sponsored nationally by law firm Eversheds LLP, Business in the Community’s Give & Gain Day helped more than 2,500 people in the region learn new skills and break down barriers to learning and employment.

Businesses in the Black Country and surrounding areas, including AF Blakemore & Son, Birmingham Midshires, Royal Mail, The Midcounties Co-operative Ltd and the University of Wolverhampton, let more 120 employee volunteers swap their day jobs to take part in the groundbreaking initiative.

David Darlaston, Regional Director at Business in the Community Business in the Community, picked up the story:

“Even though we are in the midst of a major recession, we still managed to pull together a huge event and this goes to show the willingness of local businesses to maintain their CSR agenda and give something back to the communities in which they operate.

“It also highlights how important these volunteering programmes are to the companies involved, as it has been proven that taking part helps improve communication, teamwork, strengthens partnerships and creates a real pride in the organisation you work for.”

He continued: “In the Black Country there is a real need to support schools to boost the literacy skills of young people and to help them understand what is needed to get jobs and be ‘enterprising’.

Volunteers completed 8 Black Country projects on Give & Gain Day, including literacy fun at Hawbush Primary School and training in life and employability skills at YMCA/YWCA in Wolverhampton.

There were also outdoor reading and normal classrooms created (Croft Primary and Woden Primary), a major push on enterprise and financial literacy.

Paul Cowley, Corporate Affairs Manager, AF Blakemore & Son said: 

"Employee volunteering is a great way for employees to interact with colleagues they wouldn't normally work with, learn new skills they can use in their day job and develop an understanding of how their work influences the area around them.

"We are delighted to take part in a day that provides benefits for everyone involved". 

`Give & Gain Day' is taking place during Volunteers' Week', which is celebrating its 25th year. In total more than 4300 volunteers from 200 businesses participated in activities across 47 locations.

More information

For more information about the Black Country Operations Team and how your business can get involved in community activities, contact Kelly Stackhouse at Business in the Community or call 01902 717491.