Barclays chairman urges companies to make a difference

Barclays Chairman Sir Peter Middleton is urging businesses to take part in CSV Make a Difference Day 2004, now the UK’s biggest day of ’hands-on’ volunteering. Companies can take part on Saturday 30 October 2004 or during the weeks either side.

Organised by CSV (Community Service Volunteers) and supported by Barclays community investment programme, a record-breaking 100,000 people are expected to take part in CSV Make a Difference Day 2004, including 150 companies, who can use the day to kick-start or enhance their corporate social responsibility programme and benefit their bottom line.

Last year employee volunteers renovated children’s hospices, helped homeless people, cleaned beaches and even rescued frogs, as well as many other activities making a real difference to local communities.

Barclays Chairman Sir Peter Middleton says: CSV Make a Difference Day is an ideal opportunity for companies to get involved with their wider communities and see the benefits of enabling employees to volunteer. Last year 7,500 Barclays staff volunteered on the day and we are all looking forward to getting stuck in again this year. I hope that more businesses will encourage their staff to volunteer and support local CSV Make a Difference Day projects around the country.

A record-breaking 88,000 people took part in 2003, including 116 UK companies:

* Twenty-five Barclays volunteers in the North West improved the lives of pigs by turning their pigsty into a pig heaven at Tatton Park’s Home Farm, sweeping away the dirt and whitewashing the walls.

* Forty employees from Allied Domecq in Bristol carried out a variety of community activities, including renovating a dining room at the British Institute for Brain Injured Children in Bridgwater, working on a new extension at Crowe Primary School and teaming up with the Wildlife Trust and the National Trust to carry out conservation work.

* Sole trader John Morris of John Morris car services in Woking, Surrey borrowed a Redcross vehicle and took older people in the community out for the day.

* Fifty volunteers from Norwich Union teamed up to transform a garden and play area at a NCH (National Children’s Home) project for young carers in Kings Lynn. Employees built a permanent barbecue, created a sports area with football posts and painted hopscotch and snakes and ladders games on the tarmac for the young children, who care for parents or siblings with disabilities, to enjoy.

David Czerwinski, Head of Sponsorship and Community at Norwich Union, said: The day was a great success and the experience brought the team closer together. However, the real reward for the volunteers was seeing the children trying out the new play area before they left.

Fast Facts

* Over 10,000 employees took part in CSV Make a Difference Day 2003.

* Positive Media Attention: 78% of CSV Make a Difference Day activities gained print or broadcast media coverage in 2003, with a campaign value of 1.8 million.

* Improved employee morale and work performance - adding variety to your employee’s work: ’4 in 5 employees say they would view their employer more favourably if the employer committed itself to employee volunteering.’ IBLF Oct 2002.

* A free teambuilding or training exercise, developing new skills: The experience taught us far more about teamwork in one day than any course could. Clare Waymouth, Barclays. Enhanced relationships within the local community: 82% of organisations who formed new partnerships on the day will continue to work together.

* An opportunity to jump start a longer-term volunteering programme: 93% of CSV Make a Difference Day volunteers expressed an interest in continuing to volunteer.

* 84% of the British public believe that knowing about a company’s activities in society and the community is important in forming an opinion about that organisation and 72% think not enough is done. (MORI 2003)

* 72% of the public still think that industry and commerce don’t pay enough attention to the communities in which they operate. (MORI 2003)

* 88% of employees believe that it is important that the organisation they work for is committed to living its values, but only 45% believe that their employer currently does so. FastForward Research, BitC 2003

Activity organisers get a free Action Pack, including tips and advice on how to hold a successful activity, a T-shirt, badge, stickers, balloons, chocolate and lots more.

For more information on taking part, visit www.csv.org.uk/difference or contact Sara Burdon on 020 7643 1433 or email sburdon@csv.org.uk