Wave celebrated another successful corporate volunteering event on 12th September at Standedge Tunnel, in support of the Canal & River Trust. Surrounded by beautiful woods and countryside is the entrance to Britain’s longest, deepest and highest tunnel. It’s a popular area for visitors who come to enjoy the peaceful surroundings, so making sure it’s accessible to everyone was our goal. We were delighted to be joined by the team from local public sector procurement organisation, YPO, as well as volunteers from Costa Coffee and Frasers Group.
A warm welcome 
After an introduction and welcome talk from our Director of Public Sector and Industrial Customers, Tony March, we headed to Tunnel End Woods, which is used by the local community for recreation and relaxation. Due to the overgrown vegetation, the area was unsuitable for walking and off-road wheelchair access, so the team worked hard to cut back shrubs and trees to enable access to the whole area.
After lunch in the Watersedge Coffee House, where we had a chance to really get to know one another, we headed out in the afternoon to start working on the surrounding forest. We cleared out the historic Sheep Fold, to make it accessible for children and families to enjoy.
It was a fantastic and rewarding day, and despite the rain, nothing could dampen our spirits. A passer by even stopped to tell us how grateful they were that we were clearing the area and offered to help!
Our mission to make a difference
As a business, we’ve made a social and sustainability promise to care for our planet, people and local communities. Volunteering events like Standedge offer a fantastic opportunity to build relationships with colleagues, partners and customers while embracing our values to make a difference, give back to the community and positively impact our volunteers’ wellbeing.
Everyone who joined us said they would love to attend more events in the future. Frasers Group said it was a “great event and everyone was really invested”, and Costa Coffee said it was “great to get outside and away from the office!”
YPO said: “It’s been a pleasure to attend the Wave volunteering event at Standedge Tunnel – the day’s been a great opportunity to contribute to the local community, supporting the Canal and River Trust’s work, as well as connect and network with colleagues across the attending organisations.”
Looking to the future together
We’re looking forward to meeting more of our customers, strengthening current relationships and supporting our communities in future volunteering events. If your business is interested in volunteering with us, look out for ways you can get involved with Wave.
