18 May 2010
Saffron staff get gardening for good cause
Staff from Saffron Building Society swapped their paperwork and processing for potato plants and rotivating for a hands-on day of helping out at St Elizabeth's Centre in Much Hadham.
The Society sent a team of willing workers to the charity, which is one of only two national centres caring for people with profound epilepsy, autism and other complex medical conditions. The team worked on vegetable gardens and chicken pens at one of the charity's four social enterprises, the Ash Vale horticulture project.
The Society's green-fingered staff
Over the course of the day, Saffron's staff built and repaired vegetable beds, dug around the gardens, planted potatoes and tomatoes and built supports for the centre's bean crop.
Tracey Harley, Corporate Volunteer Manager at St Elizabeth's Centre said: "As a not-for-profit organisation, this sort of support makes a huge difference to us."
"Saffron's staff have supported our clients in the past; only last year they gave us a day of their time to paint and decorate one of our school corridors. I am thrilled that building society staff, including the Chief Executive, gave time out of their busy day to offer St Elizabeth's some practical support. Now Ash Vale is all set for a new growing season and we could not have achieved this without Saffron's people power and so I would like to convey a big thank you to everyone involved in making this day happen."
The green-fingered staff from the Society's branches and Head Office were joined by Chief Executive Andy Golding, who said: "I have really enjoyed working with my team to help out at St Elizabeth's. The work of its staff supports people with special needs in our community and around the UK, so it's a privilege to be able to step in to help with tasks that require a few more pairs of hands".
"Through our branch network and involvement in the community around us, Saffron is proud to be tuned-in to local needs. We will continue to offer all kinds of support within the local community, and look forward to getting stuck in and trying new things - all for a good cause - in 2010 and beyond".
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