BSkyB supports The Ecology Centre (2006)

The Ecology Centre in Kinghorn, which was established 8 years ago, offers a variety of services to the local community. These include:

• environmental education;
• continuing professional development for teachers and group leaders;
• training for people with disabilities to develop their employabilty;
• wooden products such as seating and nature products;
• wildflowers, sensory plants and herbs;
• creation and rennovation of outdoor facilities.

They have recently secured funding to develop a horticultural project and a workshop for people with support needs. The projects will support them to develop new skills to lead people into paid employment or further training as well as developing social skills, confidence and self-esteem.

Julie Samuel from The Ecology Centre gave a huge vote of thanks to the all the staff from BSkyB who recently completed a team challenge to help develop the resources for these projects.

First they fundraising and donated £700 to buy the materials. Then, over six days, BSkyB staff worked alongside Ecology Centre staff, building the workshop by putting up plasterboard, insulation and a waterproof membrane. In the garden they were involved in making the area accessible to people with disabilities. They built a raised bed, benches and installed a wheelchair accessible path. All these tasks were crucial for the development of the projects.

Although the staff provided the man-power to complete these tasks, they learned new DIY skills and had great fun at the same time. Molly Greer, who works for BSkyB as an Assistant Financial Analyst says, “I thoroughly enjoyed being part of such a worthy project that’s not only going to benefit the centre but the community too. It was nice to do something that is different from our day jobs and at the same time help others”.

Out of the Office and into the Garden (2005)

Sandra Ross, Community Teacher, gave a huge thank you to the staff from Sky Television who worked hard all day on Monday 6 th June putting the finishing touches to the Community Garden at Cairneyhill Primary and Community School.

22 members of staff erected a beautiful pergola, repaired and painted a fence, built a herb garden and added to the plants. Paths were cleared and gravel and bark chips used to define areas. The newly-developed garden has already been enjoyed by community groups like the Strictly 60’s Plus group as well as staff and children from the school.

Staff from BSkyB thoroughly enjoyed their day working on the garden and were very impressed by the final results. BSkyB now supports its staff to get involved in the community offering them up to 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer. This new company-wide volunteering policy is part of its commitment to its staff and is part of the strategic development of the community programme at Sky. Working closely with community partners such as Volunteer Centre Fife, the company provides a menu of fun and interesting opportunities for its employees to participate in on an individual or team basis.

If anyone would like to find out more about organising team challenges or supporting staff in your company to volunteer please contact your local office