Testimonials

‘I enjoy the whole experience of volunteering and working with the children to help them achieve. It is so rewarding to know we are making a difference, especially as you can see the improvement in their reading as the year goes on. Volunteering is beneficial for me too, as reading with the children is a worthwhile respite that enables me to return to work with a clear mind after only an hour away! Volunteering is so easy with York Cares and it’s definitely an enriching experience.’

Marie Brasnett — Office Manager, Pryers Solicitors

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‘It was a rewarding experience and although we won’t know immediately of the benefits for these young people, we have opened up an insight for them to reflect on, as they put themselves forward for employment. Young people are our future and I would encourage all businesses in our City to contact York Cares, to find out just how easy it is to make a difference to some of our young underprivileged citizens. It certainly is not too onerous to become involved as York Cares facilitate the whole process.’

Steve Hughes — Managing Editor, York Evening Press

Find out more about » Starting Blocks

‘If other businesses are thinking of joining York Cares, I would tell them to go for it! It is a really welcome change of scenery for the staff, and you can really feel there is a difference being made to the community. You can see what York Cares wants to do, and it is very fulfilling to be a part of that.’

Kimberley Barton — PA, Langleys Solicitors

Find out more about » Community volunteering

‘If other York companies are thinking of volunteering on projects with kids – I would say, 'don’t wait….get in touch with York Cares now!' It is a hugely rewarding experience and a fantastic way to raise children’s aspirations and their awareness of the many and varied jobs available to them…after all, they are the workers of the future.’

Simon Godfrey — employee, Northern Rail

Find out more about » York Children's University

‘I like volunteering for outdoor/wildlife-promoting activities so I thought the York Cares Community Challenge sounded like a great event to dedicate my time to. I enjoyed working alongside the young and enthusiastic people from the local colleges/schools. I would love to help out on another project like this, to encourage people to enjoy nature and wildlife.’

Kirsten Brown — Auditor, Food and Environment Research Agency

Find out more about » Community volunteering

‘We are always trying to find ways to give back to the community and be charitable so we decided to take part in the Christmas Collections.  It was really nice to know that we were giving to people who needed help. We gave the kinds of donations that they might not get very often, so that it would feel more like Christmas for them. We have full time jobs and many of the people here have children and other outside commitments, so it’s good to have the York Cares who make it easy to be charitable. They really smooth the way for businesses. We were given all the information we needed so we could choose which programmes we wanted to do. The range of programmes they do means that we can be flexible about what we take part in, and often we can fit the programmes in with our areas of expertise. We would definitely recommend York Cares to other businesses.’

Jill Gregory and Emily Gohl — Adminstrator and Careers Advisor, Renovo

Find out more about » Community volunteering

‘I decided to join in with the Christmas parties because they sounded like fun. Our team was given the freedom to do what we wanted with the parties, so that we would enjoy it as well as the residents. It really does feel like you are making a difference to someone’s day with these things. It was lovely to meet these people, who really seemed to appreciate the chance to talk about their interests and their pasts to people who were interested. It was the first moment I really started to feel Christmassy. York Cares is a very convenient way for businesses to give back to the community. It was really easy to get involved, and the preparation for the party did not take long at all, it took up one day. I feel that the time commitment you give is far outweighed by what you get out of it. I have already recommended York Cares to several of my colleagues.’

Alistair Carr — Information and Administration Assistant, The University of York

Find out more about » Community volunteering

‘I would definitely want to participate as a volunteer again. Many of the children had little or no concept of budgeting and were mostly underprivileged. It was so rewarding to see them taking part in the interactive sessions and actually enjoying them. It made me realise how important it is to take finance education into schools and the difference it makes. The whole experience has given me a greater insight into some of the needs of our local children. Now that the classroom sessions are completed, we are arranging for the children to visit our work premises. This is particularly exciting for them, especially for those who haven’t had the opportunity to visit the city centre before even though they only live 2 or 3 miles away!’

Jayne Goodwin — employee, Aviva

Find out more about » Right to Read