We take great pride in the work we do within the local communities, including volunteering for local charities and worthwhile causes. Every year our colleagues take time out of their busy schedules to volunteer. Take a read of our latest stories…
Sunnyside Rural Trust
Sunnyside Rural Trust is a small, horticultural project for young people and adults with learning disabilities. It is a thriving charity and social enterprise with three sites, offering training and work experience for over 150 vulnerable people (trainees) in the local community.
In late May, our four intrepid volunteers arrived at Sunnyside Trust in Northchurch ready for a day helping out with various tasks. After a debrief on what our tasks for the day included, we were led over to polytunnels 3&4 which were to be our home for the day. As the pictures will show, our job was to clear the considerable number of overgrown/old plants along with weeding and working alongside a couple of the regular trainees. Sunnyside were a bit behind with the work in the polytunnels due to other priorities, hence our attendance was timely.
Armed with our various gardening tools we launched ourselves into digging, forking and hoeing, with the plant waste piled up to be loaded into wheelbarrows for distribution around the site, including feed for the 300+ rescue chickens on site.
Once we had cleared the first polytunnel we were given a tour of the site including taking some of the plant waste down to the chickens…they eat most plants and then onto the ducks. After this we were shown their sheep, goats, and then onto to see the 3 pot-bellied pigs which had been rescued from a house in London! Following this we had our lunch, which was provided by the team at the Trust and consisted of produce from the site, including salad, pickles and egg sandwiches, all of which was excellent.
Fortified by our lunch we returned to the polytunnels and set about removing the overgrown plants and weeds, although with a bit less energy than in the morning. At the end of our shift, we had successfully cleared both tunnels. A fantastic day was had by all our team with Sunnyside staff really appreciating our help.
View more about Sunnyside here
Small Acts of Kindness
Earlier in the year we contributed another volunteering day at Small Acts of Kindness (SAOK), our third visit in consecutive years. This time four of our team wrapped up and volunteered an afternoon to help pack ‘warm in winter’ gift bags. These bags are distributed to older and vulnerable people in Hertfordshire to ensure they feel warm and connected within their community.
SAOK mission is to reduce loneliness and isolation for older and vulnerable people, one small act of kindness at a time. The charity does this by sourcing and distributing practical gifts that reduce the negative impact that feeling lonely and isolated can have on older people’s physical and mental wellbeing.
SAOK impact
1 in 5 older people spending their waking day alone. Many struggle to keep warm
105,000 older and vulnerable people are now warmer in their homes, happier and better connected to their communities
450 volunteers and 150 partner organisations help SOAK reach thousands older and vulnerable people each year.
Our time at SAOK is always rewarding and our colleagues fully enjoyed their volunteering session, especially knowing the huge difference that these gift bags make.
You can also visit the Small Acts of Kindness website here
Take a look at Issue 3 of Mutual here.
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Member Story – Ken
Our members are at the heart of everything we do here at Harpenden Building Society. They are our most important asset which we value above all else. We love getting to know our members more and Ken is no exception. Take a read of his story...
SEP 09, 2024
More volunteering stories
Open Door is a community café and arts space in Berkhamsted where locals can be active, creative and social, whatever an individual’s circumstances. Last year, we contributed a grant of £7,600 to Open Door which helped towards phase one of their ‘Community Garden Project’. The garden is part of a wider community enterprise and is available for local residents to enjoy.
SEP 09, 2024
UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2024
Representing 300 firms, UK Finance is a world class trade association representing the banking and finance industry operating in the UK. Each year, UK Finance publish an in-depth Annual Fraud Report. The report publishes both the value of fraud losses and the number of cases involved.
SEP 09, 2024
Lesley’s Charity Walk
Lesley's Walk: Land's end to John O'Groats One of my aims in leaving full time work behind was to give me the opportunity to do things I’ve always wanted to do, and some things I wasn’t sure I wanted to do but challenged me in new ways. I’ve always loved hiking and for me this was the ultimate hike. It’s been a vague goal for as long as I can remember, and two years ago I started to think seriously whether it was something I could do. In preparation for the task, I did a two week walk - the Trans Pennine Trail - in August 2022 as a test to see how my body held up. Once that worked out well, I started planning in earnest. There is no set route, so I had to work out one of my own and plan where to stay each night. I booked 57 beds in October/November 2023 and the journey was set. In December, I started building up my walking and the weight I was carrying in my pack. Before I knew it, it was March 25th and I was getting the train to Penzance ready for the biggest physical challenge of my life. After a good night’s sleep, I made my way to Land’s End to get my photo taken next to the sign and started my walk towards John o’Groats. A typical day along my journey would be to get up between 7am and 7:30am - dress, pack, eat breakfast, buy food for the day, walk for 7-10 hours (depending on the length/difficulty of that day’s walk), shower, wash the day’s clothes and put out to dry. Then eat, recover and sleep. My most difficult moment was when I jarred my shin at the end of the first week. The next walking day, it was hurting so much that I didn’t think I could go any further. Paracetamol hadn’t helped so I sat down, took some Ibuprofen and rubbed the whole area with Voltarol. When nothing had changed after half an hour, I was walking and crying, thinking I just had to find a way to make it to my accommodation and then go home. After about an hour, the painkillers kicked in and walking became easier. The rest of that week, I dosed up on Ibuprofen and Voltarol and kept my swollen foot elevated when I wasn’t walking. Thankfully, it started to get better, and the swelling went down the following week. On the flip side, there were so many memorable moments during my journey; crossing the border to Scotland was probably the best as it was a big psychological milestone for me. 9 weeks and 5 days since I started my journey, not daring to believe that I would actually make it, I finally got to John o’Groats with the most incredible feeling of accomplishment. 58 days of walking at an average of 17 miles per day doesn’t begin to describe the variety of paths, roads and terrains that I walked on, the weather I walked in, and the views I was privileged enough to see. There were so many people who supported and encouraged me - their words of support kept me going when I thought I couldn’t and contributed to the fantastic total raised for Cancer Research UK. This was one of the biggest challenges of my life and I’m so happy that I completed it. You can sponsor Lesley here Lesley Beecher Non-Executive Director View as a PDF Take a look at Issue 3 of Mutual here.
SEP 09, 2024
WWFC Pavilion Project
Wheathampstead Wanderers Football Club - Pavilion Project Wheathampstead Wanderers Football Club (WWFC) was formed in 1990 by a small group of families from the village to promote and support youth football for the benefit of children and young people in Wheathampstead and surrounding areas. WWFC now provides football for over 600 children and teenagers across 49 teams. 90% of the children are from Wheathampstead, Harpenden and St Albans. In total they have 160 volunteers delivering 25,000 hours of community contribution each year. The club also welcomes 12,000 youth players and visitors to the site each year, many of whom travel up to an hour to play games at the site. The ethos of the founder members remains. A desire to create a positive environment based on mutual respect, a sense of fair play and good sportsmanship, rather than a “win-at-all-costs” attitude. Magnanimous in victory and dignified in defeat. Ensuring young players from all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to play football is key to WWFC. One of the districts in Wheathampstead is in the top third nationally for income deprivation and 21.8% of children live in poverty. Annual player fees at the club are set at some of the lowest in the area to ensure they don’t provide a significant barrier to participation. In addition, the club operates a hardship fund which provides free football for U6s and reduced fees for the U7s. Despite continued success of the club on the pitch, WWFC are the only large club in the area without permanent facilities for welfare and first aid, shelter, sanitation, refreshment and education for youth players and coaches. Their current facilities consist of just 3 portaloos. WWFC approached Hertfordshire Community Foundation to help receive funding to contribute towards their football pavilion development project, in partnership with Wheathampstead Parish Council and with the support of the Football Association and the Football Foundation. The new pavilion will include changing facilities, a club training room, toilets (with disabled access) and a kitchen, for serving hot and cold refreshments on match days. The outside parking area will also be redesigned to accommodate 130 spaces (an increase from the current 100 spaces). After a period of waiting, the lease was finally agreed between Hertfordshire County Council, who own the land, and Wheathampstead Parish Council. During this period however, total project costs increased from approximately £460,000 to nearly £600,000, largely caused by the huge increases in construction costs. Following meetings with the Football Foundation, construction of the pavilion was delayed even further whilst WWFC tried to attract further grants to help with the project. Despite the delays and at times some uncertainty about the project even taking place, construction is now fully underway at Butterfield Road. All the players, staff and parents are fully looking forward to making the pavilion their new home. We are delighted that our grant of £10,000 will help towards the construction of the pavilion, which will provide a huge boost in facilities for such a fantastic community club. A lot of hard work has gone into the project from many people at the club. We are very excited to get down to Wheathampstead to see the completion of the project. You can find out more about WWFC by visiting their website here View as a PDF Take a look at Issue 3 of Mutual here.
SEP 09, 2024
Impersonation Fraud
Impersonation fraud is where individuals are convinced to make a payment or give personal and financial details to someone claiming to be from a trusted person or organisation. Take a read as we explore this type of fraud in more detail so you know what to look out for.
