A team of volunteers from Aviva enjoyed a day out of the office supporting Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney as part of an employee volunteering scheme.
On Wednesday 5 September, a group of 11 Aviva employees from the Norwich and London regional offices spent the day volunteering at Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney, which provides a home and meaningful work for up to 23 people who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion.
The team received a tour of the charity’s grounds and buildings located on the former site of the All Hallows Community Convent, before spending the day sorting through donations to put on the shop floor and enjoying lunch alongside people being supported by the charity.
Elizabeth Marshan, a volunteer from the Norwich Aviva office, said:
“Each Aviva employee gets 21 hours each year to volunteer for charitable causes of their choice. As a team, we wanted to volunteer together and at first struggled to find somewhere that could accommodate so many of us in one go, but Emmaus were happy to have us.
“We’ve all really enjoyed our day at Emmaus. It’s nice to be able to help and we see a lot of benefit from a team perspective too – it’s good to do things together that aren’t work related. We would love to come back to Emmaus for another day volunteering.”
Aviva provides around 31 million customers worldwide with insurance, savings and investment products. As a client of Volunteering Matters, who deliver volunteering opportunities for businesses across the UK, Aviva encourages employees to volunteer for local causes and with projects and organisations.
Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney is always on the lookout for volunteers to help in its social enterprise which includes a second-hand retail outlet and The Old Orchard Café in Ditchingham, and charity shop in Bungay. Typical volunteering roles include sorting donations, admin assistance, upcycling work, and maintenance.
Lyn Watson, Community Support Manager, said:
“On behalf of everyone at our community, I would like to thank the wonderful team from Aviva for all their help. Volunteers are extremely valuable to us and we try to make sure everyone has a fulfilling and enjoyable volunteering experience with us, whether they are here for the day or longer term. The Aviva team did a brilliant job and we would love to have them back.”
For groups and individuals interested in volunteering at Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney, email [email protected] or call 01986 895444.
