VOLUNTEERING AT SELFRIDGES
Our Selfridges team members not only play an important part in bringing our values to life, but they’re a philanthropic bunch, too. Therefore, to further help our communities, we offer every team member five paid volunteer days a year to use in support of a charity or cause they feel passionate about.
From sleeping out in aid of the homeless, to providing food aid and preparing hot meals, we share stories from team members across our locations in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester to celebrate their most rewarding volunteering experiences.
TEAM VOLUNTEERING IN LONDON
OXFAM, NOTTING HILL
Property Team, Selfridges London
The Property & Design team got to work in the Notting Hill Oxfam store on Thursday 1st August. It's safe to say the Team had a great day, both in terms of what they achieved and also as a team day out. We would really encourage people to sign up to support in an Oxfam store - there are several locations available, you can sign up through the Oxfam / Selfridges hub.
WOMEN 4 WOMEN INTERNATIONAL
Georgia Gates, Communications Officer, Selfridges London
In May, myself and a group of Selfridges team members volunteered at the infamous Selfridges X WFW Car Boot, which raises money for women survivors of war. An event like no other, we were kept busy by running the Selfridges yellow boot, engaging with customers and selling raffle tickets for the chance to win one of six designer bags. The whole team was dedicated to making sure that the day ran smoothly, with all proceeds supporting an incredible charity.
CENTREPOINT SLEEPOUT
Hannah Leese, Central Operations Manager, Selfridges London
Sleep Out and wake up to change 2024 - fundraising for Centrepoint with Melisa Clottey, Luke Breton, John Wade & Team Selfridges. Thankful for so much today after 7 hours ‘sleep’ on concrete last night…operating on 3 hours MAX today! Thankful for the donations to sponsor me, the kindness of friends, family, colleagues and strangers has blown me away! Thankful to have a home and place to be safe at the end of every day! And thankful to work at Selfridges, where we are encouraged daily to support others, embrace every self & use our 5 volunteering days to bring more sunshine into the world.
LOCAL PARTNERS IN LONDON
THE LITTLE THINGS UK
The Little Things UK are a non-profit organisation that support homeless and vulnerable people in and around London. Selfridges volunteers regularly support with hot meal preparation ready for local outreach in the city.
SOCIAL SUPERMARKET
We organise weekly support for Social Supermarket, a food bank which has been set up to help provide for members of the local community who are experiencing financial difficulty and food poverty.
PENFOLD COMMUNITY HUB
We have supported this local community hub for residents over fifty in a number of ways, from Christmas decorating over the festive period to making improvements to their gardens.
TEAM VOLUNTEERING IN MANCHESTER
PLANT NOMA
Sherelle Howie, Inventory Specialist, Selfridges London
In June, along with Peter Cavender, Danielle Rogers and Liam Usher, we used one of our volunteer days spent urban gardening with the Plant MCR team at Plant NOMA. This is our second visit, and once again had an incredible time connecting with the community gardeners and helping to make our city greener.
MUSTARD TREE
Martine Eastwood, Sales Associate, Manchester Exchange
We spent a volunteering day at Mustard Tree which was so rewarding & very humbling. I supported the team by teaching English to their clients, to empower and to give them confidence to speak & write English. Later on I worked in the clothes shop. l also came across Mustard Tree’s values which the amazing team are doing on a daily basis. Just a wonderful day!
LOCAL PARTNERS IN MANCHESTER
MUSTARD TREE
Mustard Tree provides support to those with limited or no income through the provision of emergency food parcels, clothing, furniture, advice, education and training for work placements. We are in our 5th year with them, and support through volunteering at their HQ in Ancoats as well as event fundraising.
LOVE MANCHESTER
We Love Manchester was set up in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing to raise money for the victims and their families. Since then, the charity has evolved to help make Manchester a cleaner, safer and friendlier city and our team members regularly volunteering with them through organised litter picks and street cleans.
FACTORY INTERNATIONAL
We have been working with Factory International on community initiatives and look forward to supporting Manchester International Festival activity again.
PLANT NOMA
We support the team in bringing people together through gardening to help strengthen communities and encourage wilder public spaces. Although small in scale, these gardens in the heart of the city play an integral role in bringing neighbourhoods together and encouraging us all to see the city a little more as a garden.
CHILDREN’S ADVENTURE FARM TRUST
CAFT provide a variety of free programmes for disadvantaged, disabled or terminally ill children from all over the North West – all based at Booth Bank Farm, their fully adapted site. We support them with volunteering opportunities 3 – 4 times a year at their key events such as Easter, CAFTfest, Halloween.
TEAM VOLUNTEERING IN BIRMINGHAM
BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS
Abbie Willis, Beauty Department Manager, Selfridges Birmingham
Team Birmingham spreading the festive cheer and decorating the Birmingham Women’s Hospital, Birmingham Children’s hospital and the Children’s High dependency ward. Such a special opportunity!
LOCAL PARTNERS IN BIRMINGHAM
BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS
We have supported Birmingham Women’s Hospital, Birmingham Children’s hospital and the Children’s High Dependency wards over the years, transforming the spaces with festive decorations over the winter period.
PAPYRUS + MIND
We work with suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS, raising awareness and being visible in city-centre-based ‘hopewalks’. We also work with the local branch of Mind to support them in creating mindful spaces for those who use its services.
ACORNS
Acorns provide a network of specialist palliative nursing care and support for babies, children and young people. Our team members in Birmingham have supported Acorns through taking part in sponsored runs and helping to improve the hospice gardens.
TEAM VOLUNTEERING IN LEICESTER
BRADGATE PARK
Chris Turner, Senior Finance Manager, Selfridges Leicester
I recently spent a fantastic day volunteering at Bradgate Park alongside colleagues from the Leicester office. In glorious sunshine, we rolled up our sleeves and helped build protective fencing around trees to safeguard them from the park's resident stags.
It was hard work, but incredibly rewarding, and we were treated to a guided tour of the country park at the end of the day. Along the way, I was lucky enough to see some of Bradgate Park's famous deer and peacocks, which made the experience even more memorable.
It was a great opportunity to give something back to the local community, spend time outdoors, and connect with colleagues while supporting one of Leicestershire's most beautiful natural spaces.
BABY BASICS LEICESTER
Emily Bates, Principal Delivery Lead, Selfridges Leicester
Amanda and I spent a morning at a new charity placement – Baby Basics in Leicester provide much needed support to new families referred to them by health visitors and midwives.
They use donations to create starter packs of moses baskets filled with baby clothing, toys, nappies and toiletries, alongside arranging donations of specific items such as cots or pushchairs. We took along some donations of toiletries and nappies, and helped by sorting clothing so other volunteers could quickly pull together what they need for their referrals.
This was our first visit, and they were very appreciative of the support, so we'll be arranging further opportunities for the Lakeside teams very soon!
LOCAL PARTNERS IN LEICESTER
THE BRIDGE
We work with The Bridge Homelessness to Hope, a charity dedicated to creating long-lasting change through housing, support and community projects.
BABY BASICS LEICESTER
A busy centre supporting around 100 children a month with the essentials and equipment they need. The centre works closely with Health Professionals and other agencies to support families in need of help.
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