November’s Volunteer of the Month is Andy Clark, Head of Hospitality and Food Service at XL Catlin for Harbour and Jones, nominated for his various work with the Community team.

Andy is the most senior individual on site at the Harbour and Jones contract with XL Catlin, but has single handedly led the drive to become ELBA corporate partners. He has had significant historical involvement with the St Pauls Way Project, supporting St Pauls Way Trust School. In November 2016, he devised and personally delivered two cooking sessions with Age UK, an activity that received exceptional feedback. Andy is also mentoring a café social enterprise at the Tevoitt Centre in Tower Hamlets, has donated an expensive coffee machines to them, and has offered work experience to a member of their staff. That is significant activity for all his team to deliver, but Andy has done all of this by himself!

Why did you volunteer?
I wanted to give something back also its great fun and highly enjoyable and its brings home how fortunate most of us are and reminds you that there are a lot of elderly people who are lonely and have so much to offer when given the opportunity.

Why do you think volunteering is important?
I think volunteering it’s a great leveller and gives yourself a sense that it does not matter how much we earn or what we possess that we are all vulnerable and help other people is the absolute right thing to do as one day we may need a kind hand to help us and also you are giving back which is far more important than taking.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and if so why?
Absolutely  its highly rewarding and gives you a great sense of doing something that actually really matters to people less fortunate that ourselves.