Employee volunteering charity York Cares has restarted its corporate Team Challenge series after the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to stop in March.

 

Team Challenges provide an opportunity for volunteers from local businesses to give something back to their community by working in green and open spaces to help maintain and transform them. In 2019 York Cares organised 61 unique Team Challenges. So far in 2020 only three have been able to take place. 

 

This week PR and communication experts The Partners Group, which has its office on The Mount in York, took part in the first event since the lockdown when five members of the team gathered at Greenfields School and Community Garden on Haxby Road to volunteer their time to prune fruit bushes, rake grass and pick up litter. 

 

York Cares Volunteering Project Officer Megan Wilkinson said, “It’s been fantastic to be able to run Team Challenges again. The Team Challenges offer furloughed and non-furloughed members of the team to get together, catch up, and boost their mental health whilst helping the local community. They are also a great activity to be used as induction activities for new staff, team building or as a team meeting.

 

“One of the great things about the Team Challenges is that they are all outdoors, which allows for social distancing and we are asking that volunteers use their own gloves and sanitise their hands at regular intervals.

 

“We work closely with partners such as the Greenfields School and Community Garden and the City of York Eco team, who manage the city’s green spaces, to ensure that everything is as safe as possible.”

 

Monica Green, Director of The Partners Group, said, “We have been supporters of York Cares and the work that they do since they launched in 2006. It’s fantastic that we have been able to continue that support this year by being the first to take part in a Team Challenge since the pandemic struck. After working from home for so long, it was great to see the team in person again and spend time together in a safe, socially distanced environment. It was a real boost for everyone’s physical and mental well-being and it was so well-organised by York Cares and Greenfields School and Community Garden.”

 

To see how to get involved in York Cares employee volunteering initiatives visit www.yorkcares.co.uk or call 01904 323482.

 

To learn more about Greenfields School and Community Garden visit their Facebook page.