Corporate Social Responsibility in Action

That’s not because we’re trying to hitch a lift on the bandwagon of CSR, but because we’ve spoken to so many businesses who have genuinely gained so much for themselves whilst doing so much good for the communities around them, and we think the subject merits as many mentions as possible.

The benefits of getting involved with community projects are far reaching.  Yes, the business as a whole benefits from a deeper sense of employee engagement, from a stronger position of team bonding and – let’s face it – from an increased volume of good publicity (always a welcomed bonus).  From an individual’s point of view too, the opportunity to donate time, money and effort to help a good cause (especially one which operates locally) is high on the wish list for many who don’t get the chance to commit to any kind of volunteering outside of their normal working hours.

So, whilst here at RDZ PR we think that any kind of CSR activity is as much of a win:win situation as we’ve ever seen, we’re still very moved when we get to see the results within the community and hear about the huge difference it makes to people’s lives.  One example which immediately springs to mind is the Shropshire Star Christmas Toy Appeal which our client Rotherwood Healthcare participated in on the run up to Christmas last year.

The Appeal, already in its fifth year in 2019, was organised by the Shropshire Star newspaper (in conjunction with a local storage company, Storage King) to bring some Christmas joy to the lives of local children facing difficult times due to illness, disability or personal circumstances, such as having to care for a loved one.

The Appeal had been a success in previous years but Rotherwood managed to significantly boost donations via their two Homes located in the region – Roden Hall Care Home and St. George’s Pak – and make the event the largest and most successful it had been to date.

Residents, staff, family and friends from across both homes were encouraged to donate brand new toys, games, books and gifts and the response was absolutely amazing.  Not only was this a result of a genuine desire to do good, it was a reflection of the strong bonds which had been made between their residents, their families and the surrounding communities and the children within those communities in particular.

Regular events and activities organised at both Homes often involve the local Primary Schools, nurseries and other children’s groups, so the inter-generational connection was already strong.  The Shropshire Star Christmas Toy Appeal added yet another opportunity for staff and residents to celebrate these valuable links and to ‘give back’ in a very real way.

The much-boosted collection of gifts was shared between children of all ages at Hope House Children’s Hospice, The Harry Johnson Trust, The Movement Centre, Telford Young Carers and the Children’s Ward at The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.  Photographs and news reports of the much-anticipated deliveries were of course shared with those who had taken part and let’s just say there was hardly a dry eye in the house…

The fabulous project touched the hearts of everyone involved and the joy it brought was by no means limited to the recipients of the toys themselves.  Rotherwood Healthcare staff, residents and their families had a wonderful time in collecting and seeing the huge pile of gifts which resulted from their efforts – the boost in positivity all around was infectious!!

John Fennel, CEO of Rotherwood Healthcare is very keen to ensure that it remains a regular feature in the festive calendar of the Shropshire homes and we at RDZ PR will continue to encourage similar activities amongst our other clients who could benefit in this great way too.

If CSR is already on your business wish list for 2020 but you simply just don’t know where to start, get in contact with Rach via rachel.hargrave@rdz-pr.co.uk and she can set you off in a very positive direction.