Giving Back Through Volunteering in Our Senior Living Communities

This autumn, we’ve been getting green-fingered across our senior living homes, with our teams taking part in herb planting volunteer sessions designed to bring joy, creativity and connection to residents.

The sessions included decorating plant pots, planting herbs  and spending meaningful time with residents over a cup of tea and a good chat. Our volunteers loved the opportunity to connect personally with the people we serve every day, and it’s safe to say the feeling was mutual!

We carefully selected a range of seasonal herbs for their versatility-great for cooking, brewing teas or simply for their relaxing scents and textures. Residents got creative with decorating supplies, designing their own pots, which they can now enjoy maintaining and nurturing in the weeks ahead.

Volunteering activities like these are a key part of our Social Value commitment through Our Social Promise, Compass Group’s pledge to positively impact one million lives by 2030. It’s our way of giving back to the communities we work in and making a genuine difference, one small act at a time.

As our Managing Director, Laura Tighe, put it, “We know it’s the small things that often mean the most. These sessions were a lovely way for us to spend quality time with residents and give something back. The team really values being able to support and engage directly with the people we serve and it’s been such a rewarding experience.”

We also heard from Jess Payne, Director of Social Value for Compass One, who added, “This activity was all about creating moments of joy, connection and purpose. Seeing the interaction between residents and volunteers was fantastic and we’re already planning something even bigger for spring.”

And of course, we were thrilled to hear from Rahima Mulindwa, Care Home Manager at Five Oaks, who said,  “It was a wonderful day-a great chance to build meaningful relationships between the White Oaks team and our residents. Everyone loved decorating their pots and planting herbs, and the support from the volunteers was just fantastic.”

At White Oaks, we’re proud to serve senior living and care homes with consistent, high-quality food and service and we’re equally proud to take the time to connect with the people who make our work so rewarding.