Leicestershire Cares

The Society has always had the interests of its communities at its heart, and encourages staff to volunteer up to three days of paid leave per year. Leicestershire Cares introduces its member companies to local people and organisations that are in need of help. With this in mind, the partnership made good sense.

Where it all began – Number Partners

One of the first Leicestershire Cares projects Society staff got involved with was Number Partners. Each week, volunteers go into a local primary school to play maths-based board games with pupils. The children who attend need a little extra support to gain confidence with maths, participation, or both. The games are designed to make maths fun, and it works!

“The volunteers are dedicated and work exceptionally hard with the children. The children are always excited to see them arrive; they often run down the corridor to meet them. They are always enthused by the games and conversations they have. All of the children, over the years, have made progress which I believe has been supported by the volunteers from Hinckley & Rugby Building Society. We, as a school, are immensely grateful for their time and dedication to our children.”

Oleta Williams, class teacher at Manorfield Primary School

Education projects

Colleagues from the Society also volunteer time to support other educational projects through Leicestershire Cares. The literacy scheme, Go for Reading, sees the Society provide members of staff to work one-to-one on reading skills with pupils at a local secondary school. Volunteers also regularly attend secondary schools throughout the county, providing mock interviews for teenagers in readiness for further education or the world of work. These Interview Technique sessions are always enthusiastically delivered by staff who volunteer their time.

“When many volunteering activities were forced to be put on hold, being able to maintain our connection with local schools and deliver these sessions remotely was very welcomed. The sessions prove to be incredibly valuable to the young people taking part and I have recruited many new Society volunteers over this period which is fantastic. We look forward to getting back into schools, however we are always keen to offer our support however it can be provided.”

Carla Loughrey, one of the Society’s Community Champions

Community work

In addition to our regular volunteering, we periodically gather staff from across the Society to take part in a Leicestershire Cares Team Challenge, offering much-needed assistance to charities and community groups with major projects they would otherwise struggle to fund or undertake. These challenges see teams of up to 20 staff working together, and are a great way for our people to get to know each other and build on working relationships while doing something positive for their local communities.

Over the years our teams have taken part in challenges at:

• Lutterworth Community Allotments
• Barwell Community House
• Fosse Meadows Nature Reserve near Sapcote
• The Leonard Cheshire Disability Centre in Coalville
• Community garden –  A Place to Grow in Enderby
• Mencap in Hinckley
• Sure Start in Hinckley

“The team from Hinckley & Rugby Building Society helped us enormously. All the people who came were so cheerful, they worked so hard as a team and were very organised. I would like to thank them, on behalf of Lutterworth Community Allotment, for doing such a wonderful job. They have made our lives so much easier.”

Penny Tretheway, from Lutterworth Community Allotment

The Society also actively participates in various annual projects run by Leicestershire Cares, such as social challenges, which have seen staff visit care homes to help host activities for residents, festive challenges, which have resulted in staff hosting four festive parties for local charity Mencap and Collect for Christmas campaigns, which brings the focus of giving to those who will benefit the most in our local areas.

“A massive thank you to the Society for your support. Your donations have helped us create bags of festive goodies for individuals and families who have been affected by the pandemic and find themselves needing to use foodbanks and other charitable services this Christmastime.”

Leona Harris, Community Development Coordinator from Leicestershire Cares

As you can see the Society’s valuable and long-standing relationship with Leicestershire Cares has given Society staff the opportunity to volunteer their time to support many varied community initiatives.