Volunteering in the Community - Helen Davies

As a proud mutual, we believe in doing the right thing for our customers and members, our employees, and wider society. That's why we encourage all Wesleyan employees to spend 2 days volunteering in their local community every year, while still getting paid.

Risk Specialist, Helen Davies, shares a story close to her heart, and explains why she now spends her volunteering days supporting new arrivals at the neo-natal clinic at Birmingham Women's Hospital.

Helen: "On Monday 27th June it will be 30 years since my youngest son, Andy, was born at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, weighing just over 2kg. I wasn’t expecting an early or small baby, so we were grateful for the tiny doll-like clothes the hospital provided during our stay. Some of the knitted items are still in our sentimental box in the loft.

"When Volunteering Days were introduced at Wesleyan I decided to ‘give back’ by knitting hats and items for the Neo-natal unit at BWH. I organised a day out - hosted at the John Lewis community hub - and invited colleagues to join me. The day was a success and saw the first batch of knitted items delivered and being gratefully received.

"Just before the pandemic started, more knitted items and wool were forthcoming from colleagues and their family members who could knit or crochet, allowing more items to be donated. Since lockdown started I’ve been able to carry on using my volunteering days to knit hats for premature babies. This latest batch will be delivered to BWH shortly.

"If you’re interested in doing something similar I’d recommend contacting your local hospital’s charity or fundraising department to see if they are accepting donations and to find out which items they require.

"In Spring 2021, BWH issued a plea for no more items as they had no more storage space – lots of people had taken up knitting/crochet during lockdown and hospitals had become inundated! BWH are currently accepting newborn baby hats and 24’’x24’’ blankets only.

"In between my volunteering days I’m usually knitting or crocheting in anticipation of the arrival of new grandchildren. It’s a great hobby for relaxing and practising mindfulness."

And what about my son, Andy? Well... Today (24 June 2022) he’s taking part in the Longest Day Golf Challenge, 4 x 18 hole rounds of golf in one day, to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

"I’m very grateful to Wesleyan for approving my application for fund-matching of ￡100, and further donations can be made here if you wish to support.

"We’re all looking forward to celebrating his 30th birthday over the weekend, and I’ll be starting my next knitting project – for Andy’s baby, due in October."

Learn more about careers at Wesleyan here.