The Air Ambulance Service’s (TAAS) Stratford-upon-Avon store recently welcomed four enthusiastic volunteers from Network Rail, who dedicated one of their employee volunteering days to assist the charity’s retail operations – and their contribution made a real difference.
As part of Network Rail’s employee volunteering scheme, which encourages staff to take part in community projects, the team spent the day helping across key areas of the store, including:
- Building and installing three new display tables
- Repairing and preparing a donated sofa for sale
- Sorting, decoding, and hanging clothing items ready for customers
- Organising seasonal and Christmas stock
Their collective efforts added over £1,000 in retail value, highlighting the significant impact that corporate volunteers can have.
This collaboration reflects the strong connection between the two organisations. As a critical care charity responding to emergencies across the region, TAAS is often familiar with incidents that occur on the railway network. Support from partners like Network Rail is vital in helping to generate the funds that power the charity’s lifesaving work.
TAAS is delighted to be developing this partnership and looks forward to welcoming the Network Rail team back next month. Their enthusiasm and teamwork are a powerful reminder of the collective value of volunteering – something at the very heart of the charity.
TAAS Volunteer Manager, Beverley Horner, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the Network Rail team for their hard work and passion. Their support shows how corporate volunteering can make a real difference to our stores and ultimately to the vital lifesaving work we carry out.”
Juliette Colmey, Level Crossing Manager at Network Rail, added: “It was fabulous to learn all about The Air Ambulance Service. We received a very warm welcome from Beverley and the team in the Stratford-upon-Avon store. It was lovely to join forces and be part of your world for the day. We felt like we contributed well and to a fabulous cause too. We look forward to future volunteer days with TAAS.”
The Air Ambulance Service is the umbrella organisation for Your Local Air Ambulance (YLAA) providing rapid-response critical care to communities across five counties, and the National Children’s Air Ambulance (NCAA), which transfers critically ill babies and children to specialist hospitals across the UK.
The charity receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations, retail income, and volunteering support to keep its helicopters flying and crews mission ready.
To find out more about volunteering with the charity, visit: https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/
