Leaders in the Community
Leaders in the Community
Written by Naimah Miah, Community Development Senior Project Manager, Challenge:ELBA
In a world where corporate social responsibility (CSR) is gaining increasing importance, we felt that setting an example through hands-on involvement in community service sends a powerful message.
This year, for the first time ELBA hosted two team challenge days attended by CEOs/ Directors and CSR team leaders in their respective companies. The aim of these days was to allow these leaders to lead by example, to network with peers, and to demonstrate that contribution embodies a commitment to sustainability, community engagement, and the well-being of our planet.
We volunteered at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (we promise it’s not as scary as it sounds!). Ideally situated between Canary Wharf and the City, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park offers everyone a breathing space in the heart of east London, is a place of rich heritage and is rooted in the history of the East End.
“It was an honour to be asked to host the CSR/CEO Partner Days. It was wonderful to meet people from across the corporate community and have them help us care for the Cemetery Park. Everyone was very committed to what was asked of them and we were impressed by what was achieved. Thank you to everyone who attended and gave us so much energy and enthusiasm to help us continue our work to make the Cemetery Park a great place for people and wildlife.”
– Kenneth Greenway – Cemetery Park Manager – The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park.
The teams were tasked with stripping ivy that had taken over the land, clearing and improving the pathways to ensure everyone has a safe visit, weeding and cutting back invasive species, sowing wildflower seeds and transplanting seedlings to flourish into a meadow and other general maintenance tasks. The day was a success with our volunteers with some booking in to return later on this year!
ELBA hope to facilitate more team challenges with leaders, encouraging them to step out of boardrooms and into the community to foster a culture of giving back within their organisations.
We would like to thank all our partners for getting involved and taking the time out of their day to help out at THCP. Team challenges are not only a great way to boost morale and team relationships, they help meet the many needs our community partners require, to keep the organisations going. Tower Hamlets is one of the poorest boroughs in London and many of our Community Partners lack funding which could have been used to build staff capacity. This is where our Corporate volunteers come in to help meet these needs and lessen the burden.
Thanks to our Partners, in 2023, we have had over 9500 employees volunteer across East London. The success of our recent team challenge days speaks volumes and this is just the beginning of our journey towards creating a more inclusive, sustainable, and compassionate future for East London and beyond.
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