White Oaks gives back with volunteer sessions at care homes

White Oaks, the senior living division of Compass Group UK & Ireland, has been encouraging colleagues to get green-fingered this autumn, with volunteer herb-planting sessions at senior living sites across the country.

The sessions consisted of decorating plant pots and planting herbs, alongside chats and refreshments. Volunteers from the White Oaks organisation dedicated time to connect with residents during the activities.

A selection of seasonal herbs were carefully chosen by the team for their multi-purpose uses, such as cooking, making teas or simply smelling and touching for relaxation. Residents were provided with a range of decorating supplies to create personal designs on the herb pots, which they are now able to maintain and nurture.

Volunteering activities such as these are a central part of the Social Value work undertaken across Compass through its Our Social Promise, with a commitment to give back to local communities and positively impact one million lives by 2030.

Laura Tighe, Managing Director at White Oaks said: “At White Oaks, we really understand that it’s the small things that make a big difference and we’re dedicated to helping our clients and their residents to make time to connect, supporting with engaging activities for everyone. While we always like to give back, the team especially loves working directly with the residents. It’s a great opportunity to spend quality time with the people who they impact the most and this activity has been really rewarding.”

Jess Payne, Director of Social Value for Compass One said: “We want to be a force for good and giving back to the communities where we work is so important. This was a tailored activity for our senior living business, creating meaningful moments of connection, joy and purpose for residents. It was fantastic to see the engagement between residents and volunteers - activities like this help to reduce social isolation, boost wellbeing and give residents a sense of ownership. The initiative has been such a success, we hope to go even bigger with it in the spring – watch this space!”

Five Oaks Care Home Manager, Rahima Mulindwa, said: “We had a wonderful volunteering day thanks to the team at White Oaks. It was a great opportunity to build meaningful relationships between their staff and our residents.

“Everyone thoroughly enjoyed planting their own herbs and decorating the pots, with fantastic support and encouragement from the White Oaks team. It was truly heartwarming to see the smiles on everyone’s faces throughout the day.”

The White Oaks team is dedicated to delivering consistent high-quality food and services, with dedicated expertise. They are experienced in creating food and service offers that are developed to meet the specific meal requirements of residents and tenants, offering quality, choice and flexibility.