Employees from Santander’s branch in Penarth recently spent the day helping the local Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Cymru centre increase the amount of seating in its garden area. The volunteers spent the day building benches and tables at the club, which would allow for more members to join the organisation on a weekly basis.
RNIB Cymru is the largest sight loss organisation in Wales and aims to increase the quality of life for everyone with sight loss. One way in which it does so is by providing the blind and partially sighted with a place to gather and share common interests, such as gardening.
The Santander volunteers helped the RNIB upgrade its garden by clearing the paths to prevent members from tripping and increasing the amount of seating in its garden allotments. The volunteers did this by building and painting new benches and tables for the garden.
Carol McKinlay, Fundraiser for RNIB Cymru, said: “We’re really grateful for the help the Santander employees gave us. The gardening club is a lifeline for the local blind and partially sighted people and the Santander volunteers’ efforts will allow us to support more members and expand our efforts to help the community.”
Sally Williams, Customer Service Manager at Santander Penarth Branch, said: “Santander’s Community Days programme gave us a great opportunity to give back to the local community. We are aware of the great work that RNIB Cymru does and were pleased to be able to contribute to the well-being of the blind and partially sighted in our area. We look forward to organising similar events in the future.”
Santander’s Community Days scheme encourages staff to take a day out of the office to volunteer with a local cause. Last year over 2,700 members of staff took part in 256 projects across the country, including refurbishing local schools, hospitals and helping with community projects.
