4c members Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are continually looking for new ways to give back to the community. At the beginning of the summer the commercial banking staff at RBS in High Wycombe, led by director Guy Birkby contacted 4c Partnership Manager Ginny Hawksley and explained that they wanted to work on a project locally, for a cause they all believed in.
After a couple of weeks of searching and communicating with RBS and the Volunteer Centre Wycombe District, 4c put forward a project that the CSR team unanimously claimed! Their project would be the refurbishment of a room at The Child Bereavement Charity. A room used to train adults in bereavement counselling and also used to counsel children through play on the weekends.
The Child Bereavement Charity in West Wycombe provides specialized support, information and training to all those affected when a baby or child dies, or when a child is bereaved.
The RBS team assessed the task and through meetings came up with lists of required materials and of customers also dedicated to giving back. They had thought they could complete the project over a couple of weeks giving up their weekends and evenings however the challenge became larger than they expected when they discovered damp! They faced this
problem solving exercise with determination and after weeks of trying to dry it out, hiring a surveyor and a dehumidifier they completed the project in two months leaving a freshly painted, cheerful, yellow room, a new carpet, TV, overhead projector, projector screen, white boards, window blinds and a cheque from RBS for almost £2000. They took with them an immense sense of satisfaction and achievement!
Guy said “We chose this project because it was a local charity. The Child Bereavement Charity is a great cause and we wanted to add something tangible by helping through physical activity. Our customers were incredibly generous in donating services, materials and funds. We worked as a team and most importantly we know the room will continue to benefit people, young and the old for many years into the future”.
Sue Randall of The Child Bereavement Charity said “We are absolutely thrilled with the transformation of our training room which was made possible by the team from the Royal Bank of Scotland. The room was dull and poorly equipped and now we have a state of the art training facility. The room has a dual purpose, for holding our training days and as an activity area for bereaved children. We are so grateful to RBS for the huge effort they put into the project.”