On a sunny Friday 8 May, a dozen of us came out in our high vis vests, ready to clean up our key neighbourhood of Richmond Park, Sheffield.
This was our third ‘Time Out In Community’ (‘TOinC’) day, having previously ran events in Knutsford last summer and a combined Northmoor and Oldham two-part event across November and December. This is a chance for colleagues – particularly those who are desk-based – to get out in the communities that we serve, meet customers and get stuck into initiatives that truly help the area.
After a period of consultation with our East Region Neighbourhoods, Grounds Maintenance, Health & Safety and Community Investment teams, planning was underway for a three-pronged event; to clear the area of litter, gather feedback on the community centre and provide residents with free flowers and plants for their gardens.
Meeting at the Richmond Park & Birklands Community Centre in the morning, the troops split into three groups. Most were allocated the team effort job that was donning the high vis, gloves and litter grabber to clear the area of litter, helping to keep the area tidy and a pleasant place to live.
Many passing customers and residents expressed their appreciation, and how the initiative really made a difference.
What truly bolstered this effort was the collaboration with our Grounds Maintenance Team, arranging for three skips to be available on site to clear things such as thrown away chairs, mattresses and large rubbish bags, which had been taking up space in alleyways and pavements.
Group two were tasked with pairing up and knocking on pre-selected doors to survey residents on the community centre. Residents were asked if they currently used the community centre, what activities they got involved in or would like to see in the future – and whether they would be interested in taking part in the running of future groups and activities. This was to support the longer-term plan to not just transform the centre, but to bring it under community control – run by and for local people.
We received a mixture of responses, with some being already active in activities there, such as the chair yoga sessions for older residents. Young mum, Anna, on the other hand, was unaware that the centre even existed – however was interested in the possibility of running mother and baby sessions there in the future. Grandmother and customer Lily did not venture to the centre much due to limited mobility but expressed that bingo sessions “would really bring more people in”. A common thread was the need for more activities for children, in addition to the existing Kicks sessions with Sheffield Wednesday Football Club Community Partnership.
The flowerpots were provided by our contractors, father and son Kieran and Harrison. The pair have been doing work in Wybourn to improve customers’ gardens, and so were commissioned in for the TOinC day at Richmond Park. With dozens of flowerpots available, all were taken up by eager customers and residents.
The day was a success, and a real team effort. Everyone who took part agreed on how valuable it was to spend a day doing something different…
Abbie Clark from our Finance Team was one of our Head Office colleagues who made the journey over to Sheffield to take part, and had this to say:
I signed up because I believe our communities are so important and I feel that it really builds you up to take just the smallest positive action to help. Personally, I feel today has been an amazing day. I really enjoyed socialising with our tenants and it feels good to know that we’re making such a positive impact on people’s lives.”
Sarah Thornber, the chief organiser for the day, commented:
It was fantastic to see colleagues come together from across the region, connecting with each other and with our customers. The day really captured what it’s all about—working collaboratively, getting out into our communities, and making a genuine, positive impact on the local area.”
