We first ran Volunteer September back in 2023, supporting 4 local charities during the course of the month in various practical ways including painting, gardening and litter picking.
After a break last year, we decided to bring it back for 2025 and were pleased to see that it was just as popular with our team as last time around. We held 4 sessions of varying group sizes with a range of activities on offer.
Session 1 – St Sidwell’s Community Centre
Earlier this year we raised money for St Sidwell’s at our annual charity quiz night. We were thrilled to follow this up by heading to their centre in Exeter during Volunteer September to help with some redecorating of the community café area following recent refurbishment.
“St Sidwell’s Community Centre were great to work with. We were greeted with teas, coffee and an excellent biscuit choice! Our aim for the day was to make a dent in their efforts to give the main entrance a makeover. A lot of paint and a fair amount of filler later the place was not finished but a team of roughly 10 of us had given them a head start on the work they will finish later. The volunteer work we are able to do is great. Personally, I love the time out of the office and it’s great to see and contribute to some of the causes happening around Devon.”
Jamie - Wider Analytics Team
Session 2 – Stover Country Park
It was a case of braving incredibly wet weather for the second session of the month at Stover Park in Newton Abbot. Despite the unrelenting rain, we had a good morning which kicked off with learning about the history of the park and the work recently undertaken to dredge the lake and restore the listed gatehouse. It was an interesting talk from park ranger and manager Laura, and meant the team got to stay in the dry for an extra 20 minutes! After a walk around the lake to the old carriage drive, volunteers spent couple of hours cutting back a massive stretch of overgrown hydrangeas to make them more manageable.
“I live locally to Stover so it was interesting to get an insight what goes into looking after the park - something you don’t really think about when you are just out walking the dog! I enjoyed hearing all about the work that has been recently undertaken to improve the water quality in the lake. It was a wet day, but everyone was in good spirits and got stuck in despite the weather.”
Vicky - People, Business & Events Team
Session 3 – Rowcroft Hospice
Rowcroft Hospice in Torquay has been a hospice since 1982 and a hospital and convalescent home since 1937. Last year over 2,500 local patients received care from them directly, and a further 1,500 people were helped by their community services team. Our volunteers bagged up reindeer headbands and stickers for Rowcroft’s Christmas Reindeer Run event, had a think about what would work for a sponsored summer games event, and then learnt about Devon Farm Kitchen, which is based at Rowcroft and cooks ready meals which are delivered around South Devon.
“It was interesting to see the range of services Rowcroft provides - they're far more than 'just' a hospice and they felt like they were really closely embedded in the Torquay community and want to have a very positive impact on the local area. We packed up support packs for schools taking part in their Xmas Rainbow Run event and did a stock take of their Devon Farm Kitchen food cartons which definitely shows how varied they are!
The thing that struck me the most about Rowcroft was how beautiful their site was. It felt incredibly peaceful and I'd imagine just what you'd want for doing what they do.
Paul – IT Team
Session 4 – St Petrock’s
St Petrock’s provides support to individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Their services include hot meals, clothing, showers, facilities to wash clothes, and advice on housing and benefits. They also run outreach programs to connect with people living on the streets or in temporary accommodation.
Volunteers for this session were tasked with sorting through essential clothing donations. The team were given a tour of the building where every inch of available space has been cleverly used. They got to witness the incredible work the staff and volunteers do, with people arriving during our time there who were in need of emergency food supplies.
“It was an eye-opening and rewarding experience that left us with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by those without secure housing, and the incredible work being done to help them. One of the most striking things we learned is that homelessness isn’t always visible. Many of the people St Petrock’s supports are employed, sometimes in office roles, wearing smart clothes and appearing well-presented, while secretly sleeping in their cars because they can’t afford rent. This experience shattered some of our misconceptions and reminded us that homelessness can affect anyone. Volunteering gave us the chance to contribute in a small way, but more importantly, it gave us perspective. We left feeling grateful for the experience and motivated to continue supporting St Petrock’s mission.”
Aneka – People, Business & Events Team
Thank you to our team for ever being willing to take part and to the charities we visited, who do great work in our local Devon communities.
Volunteer September will return in 2027!