The impact of our volunteering policy…

In March 2023, amber® launched our volunteering policy, whereby employees can take up to six days leave to volunteer in a wide range of local, national, and international community organisations.

We’re now one year on, so what has the impact looked like?

At the end of December 2023, we’re proud to say that we had logged over 347 hours (46 days in total) in which our team have given back to local community projects and organisations that are close to us (wherever we’re based throughout the country).

To understand the impact on our volunteers, and the various organisations they supported, we have reached out hear what they thought and here is some of the feedback we’ve received:

“Ben brings amazing energy, enthusiasm, and skills to us at Hazel Hill. He’s also friendly and welcoming to new volunteers, and always interested in getting to know others and learning new things.”

–        Charley Miller, Conservation and Education Coordinator, Hazel Hill Wood

“Charlotte is our leading volunteer for this specific project.  She goes above and beyond to help out. [She has] enabled us to include more young people by having larger groups, supporting young people who might struggle with a particular activity to make them feel included, won a prestigious volunteer award, supporting staff in their roles, her invaluable support has enabled us to run the groups more frequently and on a regular basis.”

–        Petra Mitchard, Youth Engagement Officers, Gwent Wildlife Trust

“Without volunteers we would not be able to complete the aims and objectives of the project, which include opening up the woodland for the community to be able to enjoy again. We are a small organisation that relies on volunteers to support us in what we want to achieve and we are very thankful for any and all support we receive” 

–        Mary Jones, Duffryn Community Link

“Enabling girls aged 14-18 in the community to have a place to go. Learning skills and doing activities”, 

–        Girlguiding, 1st Bridgwater Rangers 

The volunteers have each taken different things from their volunteering hours; for some it has been a way to improve their health and wellbeing, spending time away from a screen, and being able to give back something to organisations they have benefitted from. 

So over to the volunteers:

“The woods are my happy place; I enjoy the physical aspect of the work and often some of the blockers I have on projects at work get unblocked by being outdoors. The other volunteers and the permanent team make the place a great place to ‘be’.” – Head Office, Amber

“It gives me perspective because I am part of something bigger than myself. Periods of anxiety are shorter and less frequent as a result. It helps me think about the impact of my actions/decisions so I can reduce my impact on the planet. It gets me up, moving and away from screens which is great as I spend long hours at my computer in my role.” – Head Office, Amber

“A perfect opportunity for me to give back to a cause that has given a lot to me, as well as more experience in auditing sites.” – Net Zero Consultancy, Amber.

“Was so rewarding and nice to be able to do something outside.”- Head Office, Amber

“Fresh air during a workday and a sense of achievement.” – Head Office, Amber

“Improving my skills, sense of community, alleviating loneliness.” – Client Success and Assurance Services, Amber.

They were also asked to score out of 10: “How likely is it that you would recommend volunteering to a friend or colleague?”

There was a unanimous positive average score of 9.5 out of 10.

There are a wide range of volunteering opportunities out there, we can guarantee every charity, voluntary organisation would love it if you approached them and offered your help.

If you are unsure of where to start, we are more than happy to share our experiences with you.  Please drop us an email to volunteering@amber.net with what you are looking for and one of the team will be more than happy to help.