Hi, I’m Luke and I work within the Finance team here at Aico.
Each year we are allowed four working days to volunteer, on Monday I spent one of mine at the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity shop in Shrewsbury. We have stepped up our Corporate Social Responsibility programme over the last few years continually increasing the number of days we can volunteer and the number of charities and causes we support.
We have supported this charity as a company for a good number of years, starting with an annual charity donation. We have continued this and increased our help by helping in their ‘store days’ when colleagues battle it out to raise funds in different stores and the team raising the most money on the day wins.
I attended the Shrewsbury store on Monday 21st July with my colleague Ryan to contribute in a different way. We have offered our services in the form of decorating and over the next four days, eight colleagues attended to re-decorate the storeroom of the shop. Ryan and I started the process, spending the day base coating the large storage room and providing a service for the charity that would normally be an expense they could not afford. We were working alongside their friendly staff who were busy replenishing the store with stock as we spent an enjoyable day painting away.
The Midlands Air Ambulance is an incredible charity close to the company, we had a visit earlier this year from them detailing the service they provide, showing us videos of their services in action and the number lives they have been able to save. I have also encountered their services when one of my friends sadly had a fatal blood clot at 36, where the Air Ambulance and the crew touched down in Ellesmere to assist in the situation. It is vital work they carry out, and it is only made possible by the fundraising that goes into the charity and the contribution of the shops they run. We also have a large collection box in our office for donations which when full are passed onto the charity shop to continue their fundraising efforts.
I am very proud to represent Aico in helping improve the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity shop by decorating the storeroom. My colleagues and I feel it is a vital service and an experience that will help us all grow and better understand what goes on behind the scenes in a vibrant charity shop.
Author: Luke Allwood-Reid, Finance Clerk at Aico
To find out more about Aico in the Community and the charity work we carry out, please visit: www.aico.co.uk/in-the-community/charity
To find out more about Midlands Air Ambulance, visit: www.midlandsairambulance.com
