Employees Team Up With Chaucer School Pupils To Clear Community Allotment

Over forty volunteers from law firm Irwin Mitchell are teaming up with pupils from Chaucer School to help make improvements to a Sheffield-based allotment which is used by the local community.

LEAF Allotments provide a space for elderly residents, young people and those with mental and physical health conditions to take some time out to learn about their food provision programme, horticulture and environmental issues as a form of alternative therapy.

The project is the latest in a string of initiatives between the city centre based law firm and Chaucer school which has been established for four years.

Taking place during National Inclusion Week (25 September - 1 October), Irwin Mitchell employees will be on LEAF plot on the Norwood allotment site on Herries Road all day on Friday 29 September.

Together staff from the firm and pupils will help clear the allotments of any waste and overgrown hedges, clean greenhouses, put up new fences and paint them, and dig beds among other tasks.

As part of its commitment to giving back to the communities they operate in Irwin Mitchell gives all employees 14 hours per year to volunteer to help good causes. The firm have encouraged staff to use part of their volunteering allowance to take part in community projects.

Through the LEAF project, Irwin Mitchell aims to bring different groups of people together, which is truly in keeping with the theme of National Inclusion Week 2017 - making connections.

The scheme also provides opportunities to pupils who are on more vocational based courses and aims to improve social mobility.

Irwin Mitchell has been working with Chaucer School pupils for the past four years running 'Right to Read' and 'Number Partner' schemes at the school, both of which see colleagues giving up their lunch breaks to help Year 7 students with numeracy and literacy skills.

More recently the law firm has introduced the school to the Parson Cross Forum and have helped organise tea dances and pantomimes for the elderly residents.

Expert Opinion

“We’re really pleased that so many of our colleagues have come forward to offer their time for our LEAF volunteer scheme. It’s such a valuable initiative which helps two very different groups in our community and brings them together; that’s why we wanted to get involved. We’ve seen first-hand the benefits such schemes have on this area of Sheffield, so we were keen to help out in as much as we could.” Karen Codling - Associate Director

Nick Waterfield, a volunteer with LEAF, said: "We're really looking forward to Irwin Mitchell's help this Friday and hope that this work will help us kick-start new projects and activities."