SBG Volunteering in the Community

At SBG, we’re fuelled by people – not just our colleagues, but also those in our wider communities.

To mark National Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating the stories of how SBG colleagues are giving back and supporting the people (and animals!) in the communities we work in. Here’s how three of our ExCo members use their SBG volunteering days…

Katherine Hawkins-Jones, Chief People Officer and volunteer for Severn Wildlife Rescue

After a 12 week training programme and 3 rabies injections I became a small mammal rehabilitator for Severn Wildlife Rescue. Whilst predominantly a charity to support bat rescue, rehabilitation and release, I have also had owls, hedgehogs, dormice, otters and foxes cross my path. Most of my volunteering involves being an animal ambulance driver, picking up injured animals and taking them to specialised care centres.

I also deliver education and awareness events where it is requested. I specialise in bat care. This means when an injured bat comes in I conduct an examination and determine a care plan that will get them to a stage of recovery where they can be released.

Care often involves feeding them mealworms to help them gain weight, removing ticks or parasites, and providing a safe space for them to recover from wing tears. The best part if when you get to release a bat at dusk and see it fly off into the sunset. I have also met lots of lovely people and have learnt so many weird and wonderful things about nature along the way.

Manila Mclean, Chief Information Officer and volunteer for Dynamo North East

Alongside her role as CIO, Manila dedicates time to supporting Dynamo North East, a not-for-profit organisation focused on promoting, strengthening and growing the technology sector across the region.

As a member of Dynamo’s Advisory Board, Manila works with fellow industry leaders to help shape initiatives that support the North East’s technology ecosystem and improve access to digital opportunities for local communities.

Manila also supports Dynamo’s flagship annual technology festival, TechNExt, which celebrates innovation, talent and collaboration across the North East tech community. The festival brings together businesses, educators, entrepreneurs and technology professionals through a programme of events, networking opportunities and thought leadership sessions designed to showcase the region’s thriving tech sector and inspire future growth. For colleagues based in the Newcastle office, TechNExt also provides a valuable opportunity to engage with the wider regional tech community, attend events and gain insight into emerging trends and innovation.

A key area of focus for Manila is tackling digital exclusion. Through Dynamo, she helps co-host fundraising events, including a charity dinner that raises funds to support organisations helping people access digital tools, skills and services. Manila also spends time visiting charities supported through the fund to better understand the impact of the work being delivered.

One example is Vision Northumberland, an organisation supporting people with visual impairments. Funding from Dynamo’s digital inclusion initiatives helped the charity kickstart a digital transformation programme, including investment in technologies such as Meta smart glasses to support people with visual impairment, as well as the creation of a dedicated digital inclusion specialist role.

Closer to home, Manila has also introduced a practical sustainability and social impact initiative within SBG. As part of the organisation’s regular laptop refresh programme, colleagues receive high-performing devices to support effective working. Historically, retired laptops were destroyed, however, Manila introduced a process to securely wipe and donate devices with usable life remaining to charities and worthy causes, helping individuals and organisations access technology that may otherwise be out of reach.

In addition to volunteering her own personal time, Manila dedicates around half a day each month to supporting Dynamo’s initiatives, reflecting her commitment to strengthening digital inclusion and helping communities across the North East benefit from greater access to technology and opportunity.

Damien Duffy, Group Chief Financial Officer and volunteer for Aspens

I am a trustee at Aspens Charities who support people with autism and learning disabilities, and their families. Aspens has a very clear vision and mission which attracted me to want to help out. Their vision is "An inclusive society where every individual on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities can thrive as part of their local community", which they strive for by providing care which meets the individual's needs and aspirations and empowers individuals to learn and grow through an integrated network of services across the South-East.

A trustee is a voluntary role within a charity and trustees have overall control of the charity and are responsible for making sure it’s doing what it was set up to do. As a trustee I attend Board meetings and committees, spend time with the people we support and at the services we provide, represent the charity in the local community and at community events, and help out at Aspens open days, events and special occasions. My fellow trustees come from a variety of backgrounds, including those with lifelong charity experience, NHS workers, accountants, lawyers, engineers and more. Everyone brings something different, be it their profession, lived experience, problem solving approach, leadership skills, etc.

I am also chair of Aspen's Finance Committee which is responsible for ensuring the charity has, and will continue to have, the resources required to deliver its services and care. This is particularly demanding as local authority funding is not increasing in line with our costs, and our services constantly need investment to ensure they provide the best level of care and safety for the people we support. We do receive donations from the public, and do have a handful of charity shops too (and a cafe and an animal farm!) but most of our income comes from local authorities across the country.

When I decided the time was right to become a trustee I outlined 3 objectives, firstly I wanted to give back to the community in which I live today or grew up in. This was really important to me. The second objective was to look for opportunities in those sectors which meant something to me personally, and these were adult learning disabilities, dementia / Alzheimer's care and research, and housing. At Aspens I have probably satisfied all three in some part!! For anyone wanting to become a trustee of a charity big or small, I would make sure it's a cause you are passionate about as you will be making a significant commitment of your time and energy. Get it right and you will find it extremely rewarding. Did you know there are more than 100,000 open trustee positions right now!! Go for it - you won't be disappointed.