Sage Foundation day at Cramlington Rockets

Yesterday I was able to spend my birthday working to support my local community thanks to the wonderful opportunities afforded as part of our Sage Foundation. We are encouraged to channel our efforts into causes that really resonate with us so when the rugby league team my boys play for finally secured their own base which was needing some serious TLC this seemed perfect.

I advertised the opportunity to colleagues and was lucky enough to assemble some willing and eager volunteers. I liaised with the Rockets Head of Community, Steve Beaty and he planned a job list for us to attend to. We helped empty long neglected rooms of old furniture, then started to address the outside area. Three long planters had sadly not been cared for by the previous tenants (pictured above) so we helped dismantle these moving both breeze blocks to an area a local aggregate recycling company could collect them from as well as moving tonnes of earth.

We filled a skip with mountains of debris from inside and outside the building. It being April the skies opened and we worked hard through showers which lowered the temperature but did not dampen our spirits!

This was a great day working together, I got to catch up with colleagues I can't always see due to differing roles and also met colleagues for the first time, both were a huge treat. The team ethic was strong and we worked together to achieve a great deal.

We left to warm up and dry off with only a small amount of soil left to move this weekend.

Thank you so much to the awesome volunteers who joined me, I am so grateful for all the hard work and also thankful to Sage for allowing us up to 5 days each year to devote to worthy causes such as these.