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On Wednesday 14th September, a team of 5 staff members from Lloyds Banking Group kindly volunteered to help transform the gardens of 4 older people living in the Bedminster area.
The volunteering was part of Lloyds Banking Group’s ‘Day to Make a Difference’, where staff are given at least one day per year to volunteer to help their local community. It is the main volunteering programme across Lloyds Banking Group and is aligned with their Learning & Development curriculum. It involves all Lloyds colleagues, including senior executives, volunteering in their communities. People can use their day as individuals or work in teams.
LinkAge’s Befriending Scheme reaches out and supports some of the loneliest and most vulnerable older people in Bristol. The scheme sees volunteer Befrienders visit those aged 65+ in their own homes on a weekly basis, providing much needed companionship and friendship. The volunteers and older people are matched for a minimum of 6 months, but many matches last years, providing long term support.
Some of the older people who are involved with LinkAge’s Befriending scheme had struggled over the years to maintain their gardens due to physical mobility problems. The staff from Lloyds spent 90 minutes at each of the 4 gardens, completing jobs like weeding, pruning, planting and general tidying up.
The older people were extremely grateful for the group’s hard work and were delighted with the results.
Fiona Gaulton, Customer Operations at Lloyds Banking Group said, “We found the day really rewarding. It was fun and a great opportunity for us to work together as a team to support a great cause.”