Volunteering at Devil’s Point
Following the launch of the Make a Difference for Mayflower 400 campaign in 2016, Plymouth businesses have been busy volunteering across the city ahead of the commemorations in 2020.
The campaign is led by Improving Lives Plymouth and a partnership between Plymouth City Council, the Duke of Cornwall Hotel, the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and the City Centre Company and encourages businesses to invest in their own premises and make a commitment to the public realm between now and 2020.
As part of the National Volunteers Week campaign, a day was organised to bring businesses together. Jo, Olivia, Sam and George from The Duke spent the morning painting the staircase railings at Devil’s Point, taking them from a rusty, faded colour to a vibrant royal blue. This is part of the hotels commitment to providing 100 hours of voluntary time towards the project. We had a great day, and it was lovely to see so many businesses coming together for one cause. The end result was fantastic, it is amazing what a difference a few hours can make. It was also a great opportunity for members from different departments of our team to get to know each other. The benefits of CSR to businesses really do enhance the awareness, importance and impact of volunteering as well as providing the opportunity for the business and voluntary and community sectors to come together for a common cause.
Before
After
Chris Burnett (pictured above in the white polo shirt), Volunteer Connections Manager for Improving Lives Plymouth said:
“The BIG Volunteering Day provided the opportunity for employees across the city to work collaboratively for a common cause that supports the Mayflower 400 initiative. It was amazing to see a mixture of ages groups coming together to prepare a part of the city ready for the 2020 Mayflower commemoration year. Not only did we manage to have an impact on the look of this site, everyone engaged in a variety of conversations within the groups about how we can all work better together in the future.”
Volunteers from other organisations cleared and white lined the pool ready for it to be used during the summer.
For further information about the campaign click below to read our blog posts:
As part of our pledge the hotel owners, Jonathan Morcom and Walter Combstock, have invested a great deal into the refurbishment of the hotel, both inside and out. They refurbished the canopy and our iconic tower to enhance the exterior of the building. Next on the list is painting the railings surrounding the hotel – a big job, but it will make a huge impact on the grade two listed frontage helping to ensure that the city looks its best for 2020.
If you’re interested in our refurbishment story, then click below:
As part of our commitment to the campaign, we also maintain the train and boat at West Hoe Park, giving it a fresh coat of paint ready for the summer of visitors ahead. You can read all about this by clicking here.
If you would like to get involved as a business, click below. For individuals looking to get on board, click below to read about the Mayflower Maker scheme.
We look forward to seeing how Plymouth progresses over the next couple of years and playing our part in that journey. It is an exciting time for Britain’s Ocean City!