Paid leave given to Bluebird care staff volunteering in COVID-hit community

Staff at the home care firm Bluebird Care have been offered paid leave to volunteer in the community to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some helping at food banks and even baking bread.

Bluebird Care staff volunteering in food bank warehouse. Credit: Bluebird Care.

Bluebird Care’s Franchise Support Team (FSC) was offered the paid leave to volunteer as many of its staff were already volunteering in their spare time. Bluebird Care decided to give all FSC staff one paid volunteering day in May.

Food bank warehouse worker

John Wilberforce, a Bluebird Care business development manager for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the North, helps out at a food bank in Bradford.

Mr Wilberforce said: “I have undertaken quite a bit of volunteering in recent years.

"Recently, I helped out at a food bank in Bradford. I do some stuff there on a Saturday morning, but on a Tuesday morning, I am in the warehouse there as food gets delivered and sorted".

Mr Wilberforce helps sort the food that arrives from collection points in the community and supermarkets and it gets best before dates etc checked before it is stored, until it is distributed a few days later.

“It means a lot to me that Bluebird Care supported me in doing this. “Seeing donations going out to people in need is a wonderful feeling, truly”.

Macmillan telephone buddy

Another member of staff, Ted Richardson, business development manager for Midlands West & Wales, is given paid leave to be a Macmillan telephone buddy.

Ted Richardson said: “I have people I am paired with and I make calls to those people who are going through cancer treatment and would like someone to talk to while in isolation and indeed being shielded.

“My reason behind doing this is, I went through my own cancer treatment last year and I met some people that really struggled with all aspects and they did not have someone who could relate to their story and that they could talk to.

“I can only imagine how hard it must be to go through it in the current climate, so I wanted to be able to help in whatever way I can.”

Bread baker for those shielding

James Gillespie, a Bluebird Care quality manager for the South West, is doing regular four day working weeks, so that he can volunteer more.

James Gillespie said: “Relatively early in the lockdown I felt that I should be doing more.

“After a few days of considering my options and knowing how supportive my managers at Bluebird Care are, I requested to compress my hours down to be done over four days a week, which would then allow me to get out and do something in my local community.

“I have been supporting my local community as much as possible, this has included supporting people that needed medication and baking bread for those who were shielding to name a few.

"I was over the moon to hear when Bluebird Care took my volunteering idea and offered it to all the FSC team.”

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