WWH staff make a difference by volunteering
Cleaning playgrounds, planting flower beds and taking part in online interviews for school students are just some of the ways our staff at Wales & West Housing and our contractors volunteer in their communities.
Every year, every member of staff at Wales & West Housing Group can take a paid working day to volunteer on projects through our Giving Something Back Days.
These projects can be in communities where they work or where our 22,000 residents live across Wales. They can also volunteer for charities close to their own hearts or those supported by our Board such as Keep Wales Tidy, Engage Cymru or MIND Cymru.
In Barry, three members of WWH staff gave their time to give three unloved flower beds at the Castleland Community Centre a green makeover in November 2021.
The area leading to the centre’s entrance hadn’t been touched for several years and was overgrown. Our Community Development Officer Herman Valentin worked with our construction partners Jehu Group, who are building 72 new apartments for us at Subway Road, to benefit the local community. Their sub-contractors Laurel Landscapes donated plants and soil, Liz Lake Associates produced the landscape drawings and WWH staff planted up the beds.
Neil Moore, chairperson of the Castleland Community Association, said: “We are so grateful to WWH for their hard work.
The area had become neglected and although as a small charity we didn’t have the money to spend on perennial plants.
We hope these plants will thrive and cover the ground and give the centre a bright appearance and prevent
“It already looks so much better and we can’t wait to see what it looks like when spring rolls around.
“We hope this will be the start of many other collaborations with Wales & West Housing.”
Other projects have included:
- carrying out deliveries for a Cardiff-based garden project, who appealed for help during the first national lockdown
- helping to clean a park playground and paths in Newcastle Emlyn
- taking part in online mock interviews for students at a Cardiff school
This year WWH also joined Cardiff Third Sector Council (C3SC) as lead sponsor of their Volunteer Awards 2021 to celebrate the extraordinary efforts volunteers have made throughout the year.
We also encourage our contractors who build and maintain our homes to give their time and materials to help projects too.
These have included:
- installing paving and fencing to improve security and safety at a women’s refuge in north Wales
- decorating a new community centre in Grangetown, Cardiff
- carrying out heating and roofing repairs at a community hub in Merthyr Tydfil
Anne Hinchey, Group Chief Executive, Wales & West Housing, said: “Volunteering provides huge rewards for both our staff, our contractors and our communities.
“Through our Giving Something Back Days we encourage our staff volunteers to spend a day making a real difference to a community.
“By getting out and working with other people volunteers can improve the places and spaces where they live and work. It can also help their own sense of wellbeing as they can learn new skills and meet and work with new people.”
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our communities. They work hard, giving their time, energy and expertise to make a difference to the lives of people around them and we are happy to support them.”
For more information in the ways, we support our community see our Making A Difference Report
