Sarah’s Team Beach Clean

“We’re all passionate about reducing carbon and being climate friendly and so it made sense to do something positive for the environment and good for us at the same time."

Sarah Moore manages the ICT Transformation team at Somerset County Council, which is responsible for transforming digital services across the organisation. 

Like many who’ve worked remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, her team haven’t seen each other in person since March 2020 and some newer team members have never met. 

Although working remotely has suited them well, now that they can meet in person again, Sarah wanted to ensure that their first get together in 16 months was meaningful.

“A lot has changed since we’ve all been together in the office and so I wanted to get the team together to do something different; where we could all spend a day outdoors in the fresh air and that would allow people to reconnect and have some good conversations, whilst doing something useful at the same time.

"I wanted to get the team together to do something different; where we could all spend a day outdoors in the fresh air and that would allow people to reconnect and have some good conversations"

“At Somerset County Council we get four volunteering days a year to do something good and we wanted to use at least one to volunteer as a team.

“So, we reached out to Spark a Change to see what ideas they had for a team volunteering day. A beach clean was front of my mind and Chloe put us in touch with the Marnine Conservation Society and Surfers Against Sewage who suggested that we help to clean Minehead Beach. 

“We’re all passionate about reducing carbon and being climate friendly and so it made sense to do something positive for the environment and good for us at the same time. 

“Sometimes at meetings or events you can be sat next to the same person all day whereas this will create a relaxed environment to allow both individual and group conversations to flow naturally.

"This is a great chance to meet the team and make a difference!"

Amy Lowe, one of the newest team members, explains why she’s excited for the beach clean. “Not only does it mean a day at the beach but it will also be the first time I get to meet my team members. As a new starter, I have been working remotely which means I have only met people virtually. I’m really passionate about the environment too and try to do small things every day to help so, this is a great chance to meet the team and make a difference! 

“Volunteering is a really rewarding experience and I’ve got the added bonus of going to a beach I’ve never been to before! 

To discuss how a corporate volunteering partnership could benefit your business or organisation, please click on the link below.