Over 10,000 volunteering hours clocked in across our regions

Over the past year, our employee volunteering programme has given our 7,000-strong workforce the opportunity to share their skills, experience and time in their local communities.

Teams across South Wales, the South West and Midlands have spent more than 10,000 hours supporting local charities and community groups.

Emily Green, our Volunteering and Sponsorship Coordinator, said:

“Volunteers’ Week gives us the opportunity to thank our volunteers for everything they’ve done to support our local communities, and to create positive, lasting legacies and empower future generations in the communities they are proud to serve.

“It is also a chance to celebrate the wonderful work that charities and local community groups do and recognise the impact volunteering can have.

In the South West, our teams partnered with Your Park Bristol & Bath on a range of projects including creating a sensory garden, removing invasive Himalayan Balsam and tree planting to improve local green spaces.

Amber Fisher, Your Park’s Partnerships Manager, said: “We’re so excited to be working with NGED again this year. Their team’s passion and willingness to get stuck into making parks better places for all is second to none. Your Park’s vision is for everyone to benefit from parks’ transformative health benefits. With continued backing from partners like NGED, that vision is becoming reality.”

Across Wales, staff have supported St David’s Hospice Care with a day of weeding, planting and mowing the gardens at their hospice in Newport, which are much loved and enjoyed by the families that are cared for there.

Another volunteering day was spent sorting through donations at St David’s Hospice Care depot in Cwmbran to prepare them to be sold across St David’s 36 charity shops in South East Wales.

Kris Broome, Director of Fundraising and Lottery at St David’s Hospice Care, said: “We are a charitable organisation providing comprehensive, palliative care to patients, their families and carers facing life-limiting illnesses. We’re grateful to National Grid Electricity Distribution staff based in Cwmbran who helped sort donations, arrange paperwork and joined in with gardening at our hospice.

“With the continued support of our local community, fundraisers and businesses, we can ensure that St David’s Hospice Care continues to provide vital services for many years to come. Together, we can make a difference.”

We also sponsored the Kolor Dash event run by the charity, which provides care and support for patients, their families and carers facing life-limiting illnesses.

In the Midlands, our volunteers supported P3 charity by transforming communal spaces in supported accommodation. This included decorating, furnishing and creating a sensory garden in Nuneaton, as well as a garden transformation in Gloucestershire.

Lydia McHugh, Community Engagement Coordinator at P3, said:

“The dedication and hard work of the National Grid Electricity Distribution volunteers have truly transformed the communal spaces in our housing for young people. Their efforts in painting, wallpapering and furnishing have created a warm, welcoming environment that will make a real difference to the young people living here.

“We’re incredibly grateful for their time, energy and generous support in helping us create a space that feels like home.”

In the last year, our employees have supported 50 different charities and community organisations through volunteering, across many different projects and events, and we look forward to continuing this work in the year ahead.