VOLUNTEERING AT SELFRIDGES

Martha Ray and I travelled to Calais to support Care4Calais for two days in January which is one of the toughest months for the refugees, so we decided to go when they need the most support. It was bleak, cold and wet; which was such a hostile environment. 

We spent the first morning at the warehouse, sorting through supplies and packing up the vans. Then the afternoon was spent with refugees, handing out 300 coats, making cups of tea, providing essential services and playing football and dominoes. It was such an eye-opening experience. There were so many people in flip-flops with soaking wet clothes who still had smiles on their faces. They were keen to chat and get involved with the our team. 

The following afternoon was spent with refugees mostly from Syria, and their positivity was quite amazing. Regardless of their circumstance, there was a sense of joy and comradery. Coming home felt disjointed and superficial. It was hard to think about the people who we had left behind in Calais, not knowing where they were or if they were safe.

 Overall, it was an incredibly humbling experience and such a joy to spend time with these people. I will not forget the stories and faces of the people I met, and I hope that they make it through the next part of their journey safely and supported.

Earlier this year, we hosted another successful car boot sale in our Selfridges car park raising money for an amazing charity called Women 4 Women. The charity helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives. We had 16 members of our team volunteer for the day and it was great to have teams from across all functions, as well as two from Manchester and one from Leicester.

A huge thank you to all who supported. Also, a special mention to Charlie Bowring who put the event together and helped create the amazing success that the fundraiser was. Once fully added up, it was looking like we’d raised even more than last year.

#SheinspiresMe. 

At the beginning of April, myself and Tayab had the pleasure of assisting the charity ‘Organic Soul’, supply food to the people of Manchester, for all breaking their fast during Ramadan and the less fortunate. Not only are you supporting an amazing cause, but you learn so much about different cultures along your way. It was yet another heart-warming experience. The team felt like a family and wow… the chai tea they made…unreal! On behalf of Tayab and myself, thank you Organic Soul for all the love you continue to show to our community.

This autumn, 21 team members from Selfridges London attended volunteering with Brixton Soup Kitchen for Black History Month. It was such a great day preparing lunch for the community, organising donations of clothes, shoes and care packages, clearing the garden and spending time with local residents..

I volunteered at SIFA Fireside in Birmingham with a few of my colleagues to help with the work it does to support homeless and vulnerably housed adults. SIFA is an amazing charity which helps people rebuild their lives with safety and dignity, offering legal advice, accommodation support, medical support and lots of other services to support the local community.  

We spent the morning helping it to prepare and serve hot meals at its drop-in centre. It was such a rewarding experience which really showed that every little bit of support helps and can make such a difference to people’s lives.

I recently joined the Marine Conservation Society volunteer community to support their campaign for cleaner, better protected, and healthier oceans. As part of the project, MCS complete beach and river clean ups, collecting plastic and rubbish that is littering the water. 

A group of volunteers and I took to the waters with our paddleboards in tow and collected what we could find. I underestimated just how much and what kind of rubbish there would be – we travelled along 800m of water and collected two bags of plastic, glass and foil litter, also finding a children’s slide, a traffic cone, a fire extinguisher, kids’ toys, police tape and a desk chair.

I can’t wait to start volunteering with them more regularly and help continue the clean up, there’s a lot of work to do!

This August, a team of 20 team members attended Little Venice Canal Litter Pick, where we took pride on contributing to protect our planet. The highlight was the appreciation of locals passing by, expressing their gratitude for our actions. Thank you all involved.

I volunteered for City Harvest Spitalfields this summer to help vulnerable groups gain access to surplus food that would normally go to landfill. I spent two days working as a warehouse assistant, packing up totes of fresh produce and ready meals to go to women’s refuges, homeless soup kitchens and youth hostels. I also put away donations of fresh food, meat and ready meals to be stored and distributed the next day. 

City Harvest’s ‘zero-waste’ sustainability concept is clever and so critical in today’s world. I’m particularly impressed with the City Harvest team (shout out to Phil!) who are so dedicated to the cause. It was an eye-opening and humbling experience that I would love to do again and again, knowing any contribution to their cause goes a very long way. 

This summer, some of the Selfridges Manchester Trafford team visited the Oxfam Warehouse in Batley to support with the sorting of clothing donations. The day was spent learning about all the different ways that the warehouse recycles clothes (they have a zero-landfill policy) and then we were hanging bags of clothes to go to Oxfam stores and online. Another great day with Oxfam.

A great day was had by the Sourcing & Supply Tech Leadership team on the 16 February in Leicester. We volunteered with the Canal & River Trust, collecting rubbish and cutting and clearing branches from the side of the canal. By the end of the day, three boat-loads of branches were cleared, and five bin bags of rubbish were collected.