In line with our commitment to making a positive impact in the communities where we operate, as part of our sustainability approach, our Procurement and Global Supply Planning Teams in Milton Hill, UK recently dedicated a day to volunteering for Restore, an Oxford-based mental health charity.

By helping with the maintenance of the charity’s allotment, our volunteers offered tangible support to its mental health recovery initiatives aimed at empowering individuals to lead meaningful lives.

As part of its holistic approach to mental health recovery, Restore incorporates gardening activities into its programmes. Gardening not only provides therapeutic benefits but also enables individuals to learn new skills, confidence, and develop a renewed sense of purpose. The produce grown in the charity’s allotment is utilised by the community, local businesses, cafes, and restaurants, including at Restore’s own Garden Café, where the proceeds help fund their initiatives, ensuring the sustainability of their vital work as well as offering people with mental health difficulties the opportunity to learn catering and customer service skills.

Recognising the importance of Restore’s gardening initiatives, our enthusiastic Infineum volunteers embarked on a day of service at the Elder Stubbs Allotment. Armed with spades and forks, our dedicated team worked diligently to clear and prepare two plots for future planting by Restore’s beneficiaries.

One of the Infineum volunteers, EMEA Demand Planner Phil Woodward, sharing his experience, said: “It was a lot of hard work, but we were pleased with the result. We all had a great sense of accomplishment knowing that the following day people receiving mental health support would be able to use the plot for their much-needed planting activity.

“What’s more, it was also an opportunity to practice our safety skills as we had to run a last-minute risk assessment for many of the activities involving the use of tools in close proximity to one another to make sure we did not get hurt. In addition, as it was a hot sunny day, we had to be careful to stay hydrated and ensure the use of sun cream, hats, and sunglasses to protect ourselves.”

Volunteering initiatives like this not only help organisations like Restore overcome resource limitations but also create a strong bond between businesses and the local community.

Restore’s Head of Fundraising and Communications Matt Jerwood, said: “The support of corporate partners like Infineum is so important. It’s thanks to its supporters that Restore is able to help people to rebuild their lives. Infineum’s efforts made a direct impact to a therapeutic horticulture programme that benefits over fifty people every week, supporting them towards mental health recovery. In all, Restore supports five hundred people a year through six thousand activities and coaching sessions. Two-thirds of people will leave Restore and enter employment, volunteering, or further training.

“Organisations like Infineum engage with Restore in many different ways; from Mental Health First Aid workplace training to fundraising challenges, to volunteering, and all make such a positive difference; to the work Restore does, in raising community awareness and in helping to break down the stigma around mental ill health. Thank you to Infineum, from all at Restore!”

The Procurement and Global Supply Planning teams made use of their “volunteering day” to help Restore.

The volunteering day is a benefit offered to every Infineum employee globally and consists of an extra day of annual leave that can be used to support their community. It is part of our Sustainability approach and helps us deliver on the UN sustainability goal 3 in supporting people and communities.