Wave had the pleasure of hosting another corporate volunteering day this month, this time planting trees with Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) in Wittering, Peterborough.
As Wave’s Marketing Executive, I was excited to use my Volunteering Day to take part (and get some great shots for our new Instagram account). We were joined by some of our customers, Mitie Energy and Bakkavor, as well as returning customers Frasers Group, who volunteered with us last September at Standedge Tunnel. It was a great day, and luckily a dry one too!
A team effort
We started the day with a round of coffees from local café The Coffee Stop, while we gathered in the church and listened to an opening talk from our HR Director Jane Austin, followed by Mike Horne from Langdyke Countryside Trust and Tony Cook from PECT. Then we headed out to the field to start our planting.The team was split into three groups and spread out over the field, each given the task of planting a different species of tree. One group focused on planting Hornbeam trees in the wetter soil near the church, as these were larger and would thrive there. This required the group to dig larger holes for the root balls and trenches for roots that extended up to two metres outwards. This group definitely had the most strenuous task!
The other two groups focused on planting smaller species of tree such as Holly and Blackthorn. These were placed between larger trees that had already been planted in the area, acting as an underlayer for local wildlife to use as cover. PECT advised us that they would go in later and plant wildflowers and other species of plant that would act as a further ground layer as well.
It was a rewarding day, and fascinating to learn about the science behind planting trees. We learned which trees thrived in which conditions, how to dig correctly, and that we should fill the holes back in with the top layer of grass first, so it can rot and provide essential nutrients for the roots. Wave’s HR Manager Lisa Davis said: “The guys from PECT were amazing and so knowledgeable. They taught us so much about trees and the environment. I would love to come back in a few years to see how all the trees have grown!”
Doing our bit
Our social and sustainability promise is more than just a tick box to us, and that’s why we’ve committed to running corporate volunteering days like these and have many more planned in the future. Volunteering with our customers is a fantastic way to build relationships and positively impact our people’s wellbeing. We’ve made it our mission to give back to local communities and make a difference to the environment and our planet too.It was fantastic to see previous customer volunteers joining us again. Frasers Group, who have volunteered with us before, said of the day, “very knowledgeable team and another good example of Wave’s commitment to the environment”.
Mike Horne, event facilitator at Langdyke Countryside Trust, said: “Thanks for arranging such a rewarding experience.”
