Colleagues get gardening for a good cause

A team of green-fingered colleagues from TransUnion (formerly Callcredit) have put their gardening skills to good use and helped to transform a sensory garden at a learning disability service in Bradford.

Run by Hft, a national charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, the vibrant community hub at Shipley Resource Centre is used by more than 60 people each day and offers a range of activities including swimming, horse riding, flower arranging and music.

Using their paid volunteering leave, which is part of our programme to support the local community, 12 colleagues made two visits over the summer and worked tirelessly to transform the tired and overgrown garden into a tranquil space - designed to stimulate the senses and allow residents to experience the outdoors in a safe and stress-free environment.

Assistant manager at Hft Jill Hardy is delighted with the regenerated garden. Jill said: “We’re so grateful to the volunteers who have worked really hard to transform our sensory platform and garden. The people we support will now be able to develop their sensory abilities by experiencing the smell, touch and feel of the garden, which offers a peaceful space to get away from it all.”

During their visit, the volunteers were also shown around the centre and had the chance to meet with support workers, enabling them to find out more about the important work Hft does, helping adults with learning disabilities throughout the country to live the best life possible.

Sarah Shaw, our corporate social responsibility consultant added: “Here at TransUnion we’re proud to support the communities in which we operate, helping to make them better places to live and work. On hearing about the need to update the outdoor environment at Shipley Resource Centre, a number of our colleagues volunteered to help transform the area, giving the people with learning disabilities access to an enhanced sensory garden. It was a really rewarding day and we’re delighted we were able to help." 

As a company, we’re committed to providing opportunities for all employees to support local causes that are close to their hearts, and operate a Volunteering Time Off day. This has become increasingly popular, with recent figures showing that globally TransUnion increased volunteering hours by 9% in 2017, when compared with the previous year.

Find out more about our work across communities globally here.