Digging in to help cancer charity

Gardens can bring tranquillity and peace, a place to escape life’s frantic pace, somewhere to find mental quietude.

It’s certainly one of the themes of this week’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the most important flower show in the gardener’s calendar.

But gardens don’t have to be showpieces – magnificent though some of those competition spaces are at RHS Chelsea – to provide personal sanctuary.

But gardens do require constant attention – step forward the Fleet Alliance Benefits and Social (FABS) team of volunteers to help bring some order back to the gardens of Beatson Cancer Charity with some pruning, cutting and clearing out.

The Beatson Cancer Charity helps support the work of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. Situated to the north-west of Glasgow, the centre is an internationally renowned cancer centre providing cancer patients and staff with the leading-edge equipment, treatments and surroundings to treat cancer.

Nine volunteers from Fleet Alliance used their volunteering day – part of the Fleet Alliance benefits package to encourage support for charities – to clear out and dispose of shrubbery around a section of the hospital before it is transformed with plants and flowers.

It was hard work, but satisfying – as some of the team testified.

Michael Smith, Learning & Development Partner, said:

“I am very grateful that Fleet Alliance, through our benefits package, gives us a chance to volunteer for local worthwhile causes. I was very privileged to work with the Beatson charity and help clean their garden so that patients have something calming to look at when spending time there.”

Account Manger Jodie Devlin and a FABS team member, added: “We had a fantastic day helping in the Beatson Garden. The garden is such a beautiful place that brings relaxation and tranquillity for anyone who might be visiting for treatment.”

As part of its business strategy to be a sustainable mobility provider, Fleet Alliance is committed to charitable giving through ‘Fleet Alliance Loves’. Grounded in the company’s core values of Fairness, Trust, Engagement and Respect, Fleet Alliance Loves encourages its people to make a positive contribution to the society around them and to understand the business from a wider community perspective.

Emma Lovick, head of People & Culture, says: “Fleet Alliance has a long-standing history of supporting local worthwhile causes and we encourage all our employees to have time away from the workplace to volunteer at local worthwhile causes to help make a difference. The work that the Beatson Cancer Charity does is both wonderful and vital to our community. Our team members and I were absolutely delighted to spend the day volunteering in their hospital grounds.”

So far this year, Fleet Alliance has raised £18,132 for charitable causes. In total, Fleet Alliance has raised over £791k for charity since the company began its fundraising activities.

But charity is also about giving time to help society. And that was very much behind the volunteer days given to The Beatson Charity by the Fleet Alliance team members.

We’ll leave the last words to Marlyn Hosie, Beatson Volunteer Manager, who said:

“A massive thank you to the team from Fleet Alliance for volunteering to help out in our gardens here at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.  Our gardens and outdoor spaces are so important to patients, families, loved ones, visitors and staff.  Being able to enjoy some peace, quiet, and fresh air in our beautiful gardens is priceless. Your help is much appreciated.”