Every year, over 20 million people across the UK volunteer, giving millions of hours to help their communities; last week was the annual Volunteers’ Week which is designed to get more people involved in volunteering and also to say thank you to those who volunteer on a regular basis. It has been estimated that the economic value of volunteering is around £40 billion and helps to run some of the vital services within the UK – including the NHS.
Following our office move to London Bridge, the Inspired Selec
tion team decided it would be great to get more involved with the area we work in and give a little something back to the community. We volunteered for the Bankside Open Spaces Trust who work closely with local people to meet local needs and provide everyone with a little bit of space to relax, grow plants, do sport or just hang out and be together.
We spent the morning in a resident’s garden in Southwark where we worked to clear a patch of land where we sowed a wild flower meadow to encourage bees and wildlife to the garden. The residents all work together along with volunteers to maintain the garden where they grow their own fruit and vegetables which are available for any of the residents to harvest.
Our next stop was Waterloo Millennium Green where we got down to some hard graft, clearing and maintaining the park as well as playing a vital part in finding out from the local people how they want the Green to be maintained and what they foresee for the future of the Green.
It was a real pleasure to be a part of a project like BOST and it was amazing to see the community, including other local businesses taking the time out of their day to get involved. The projects BOST work on are particularly special within the community because they reflect what the people want and help to keep these beautiful green spaces a place where locals can get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.
If you want to get involved please do check out BOST and contact them via their website at www.bost.org.uk
Inspired Selection 