Creating a ‘buzz’ of excitement in our senior living communities

There is great joy to be had in supporting local wildlife. As part of our volunteering programme, our team recently visited senior living sites across the Southeast to craft bug hotels with residents. These cosy critter cottages provide the perfect habitat for bees and creepy crawlies, helping to promote biodiversity while connecting residents with nature.

Colleagues from all over our business, from operations and culinary to marketing and business development, sat down with residents to help build, paint and install the colourful habitats.

The crafting sessions gave residents a chance to catch up over a cuppa and get creative. We brought along paints and craft supplies so everyone could make theirs look completely unique.

Once they were finished, some residents chose to put their hotels out in the communal gardens, while others kept them for their own outdoor space or gifted them to family members.

Sharon Davies, Housing Officer at Town & Country Housing, shared some wonderful feedback:

“Our residents absolutely loved having the White Oaks team join us. Everyone got stuck in and there was lots of chatting while the bug hotels were being decorated. They’ve been a real talking point since too, with residents enjoying seeing them in the gardens. We’re very grateful to the team for giving their time, and we’re looking forward to having them back.”

Our Managing Director, Laura Tighe, took part in one of the sessions, adding:

“It was such a lovely afternoon. We had a lot of fun seeing everyone’s different ideas and spending time together away from our usual work. The best part was hearing that residents were already asking when we could come back and do another activity.”

A proud history of volunteering

As part of our parent company Compass Group UK & Ireland, volunteering is an important part of the Social Promise commitment to positively impact one million lives by 2030. Bug hotel crafting is the latest in a series of fun activities we’ve enjoyed with residents, including decorating plant pots and planting herbs.