Team members from The Access Group UK, one of the leading providers of business management software, have spent a day volunteering at our Alton-based residential care home, The Lawn. Friends of the Elderly, which is celebrating its 120th Anniversary this year, welcomed 7 Access Group volunteers who wasted no time getting the care home’s garden furniture ready for the summer.
Talking about her long relationship with The Access Group UK, Sharon Nunn, our Group Financial Controller said: “Back in 2005, my Finance Director asked if I would consider implementing a finance system for the Charity. I arranged a Tender Process and three companies demonstrated their systems for us. We chose a relatively small company called Asyst, which is now part of the much larger Access Group, and our working relationship has gone from strength to strength and continues to do so.”
Given the strong relationship, The Access Group UK chose Friends of the Elderly as one of its charities to support through its Staff Volunteering Program. ‘Giving Back’. The 7 volunteers were joined by colleagues from Friends of the Elderly and the group tackled the time consuming task of preparing, sandpapering and revarnishing all the care home’s garden furniture.
“It was hard work, but there was a real sense of camaraderie,” continued Sharon. “As we sandpapered and varnished, we chatted away to each other and had a lovely time. We were even joined by some of the residents who came to admire our handiwork – and a few pointed out if we’d missed any spots when we were varnishing.”
“Encouraging and supporting employees to volunteer their time and skills to benefit the community through various initiatives is extremely important to us,” continued Sherri Gooch, The Access Group UK’s Premier Customer Success Manager. “As an organisation, we support volunteering and encourage our employees to give back to their communities. Spending a day with Sharon and the Friends of the Elderly Team at The Lawn was a great experience for us all and I even picked up a few handy DIY tips from the residents who came out to see how we were doing.”
“All the volunteers on the day were excellent,” added Alina Gutu, the Registered Manager at The Lawn. “Everyone worked so hard and as a team. Each volunteer was organised, enthusiastic and creative. The residents had a lovely time as well interacting with everyone as they worked on the job in hand.
“The results of all their hard endeavors were amazing, the garden furniture looks like new and once the warmer weather arrives, the residents will be out in the sun, relaxing and making the most of everyone’s hard work.”
“The Access Group UK volunteers worked hard, but had a lovely day, especially speaking with the residents,” added Sherri. “It was so rewarding to see how much everyone at The Lawn appreciated the end results and we hope that the residents have a wonderful summer enjoying their rejuvenated garden furniture.”
“We are very grateful to all the volunteers for spending a day at The Lawn, helping to revitalise and refresh the care home’s garden furniture for the residents to enjoy, was a great thing for them to do,” concluded Sharon.
Find out more about The Lawn care home by calling 01420 84162 or emailing enquiries@fote.org.uk.