In 2022, AKW and DLP introduced the Helping Hands Volunteering Scheme, an internal program that offers colleagues the opportunity to volunteer with local charities and good causes as part of their employment.
300 paid volunteering days per year are available across the AKW Holdings Group for colleagues to use to take part in a variety of projects proposed and organised by each regional team.
The scheme has been very popular among colleagues with a number of projects completed, more information on which you can find below.
In January 2026, two volunteers from AKW and XPO returned to Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire to support Mears Group PLC with their annual fundraiser for Longfield Community Hospice.
Each January, Mears volunteers arrange pick ups of disused Christmas trees from local residents and businesses, before taking them to be chipped and turned into mulch, with collection fees kindly donated to Longfield to enable them to continue with their fantastic work.
This year, more than 4,700 trees were collected over a 4-day period, of which 82 were collected by AKW Sales Director Craig Phelan and XPO Driver Evan Bower. The efforts of the volunteers helped to raise a massive £90,000 for the hopsice!
AKW Product Data Manager Mark Luxton, started 2026 volunteering with local charity Mentor Link, who have provided expert one-to-one mentoring for children facing social or emotional difficulties in schools for the last 23 years.
Mentor Link previously ran a charity shop in Stourport-upon-Severn, where Mark and his wife Ira have regularly volunteered, but it has since unfortunately closed. Instead of returning to his AKW day job after the Christmas break, Mark spent the first Monday of the year supporting the retail team with emptying the shop.
Four colleagues from AKW chose to spend a working day in December volunteering with local care home residents and day centre visitors, where they got the opportunity to help them build gingerbread houses and make greetings cards to help get them in the festive spirit.
Surveyor Michael Hall and Business Development Manager Andy Bowden visited the Age UK Dementia Wellbeing Centre in Gateshead. Meanwhile Chloe Bell and Lucy Moule from AKW’s Customer Services department got crafty with residents at Westmead Residential Care Home in Droitwich Spa.
Colleagues from AKW in Middlewich supported a festive family fun day at Barons Quay shopping centre in Northwich in December 2025, all in aid of Children Today.
Children Today are a Cheshire-based charitable trust who provide specialised equipment and support to children and families in need. They aim to help give children more independence and the best possible quality of life, as well as help to minimise social isolation and improve their physical and mental health.
The three volunteers – Claire, Becky and Ellen – spent their day working with the charity to offer local shoppers a free Christmas gift wrapping service and assist families with festive craft activities, for which the Children Today team were incredibly grateful; “They were lovely to work with and brought such a positive energy.”
In October 2025, AKW volunteers Jo and Sara spent a day with residents at Astley Hall Care Home in Stourport-upon-Severn getting them in the spooky spirit. The ladies assisted residents with creating their own pumpkin lanterns, and then hosted a Halloween quiz, before helping staff serve residents tea and cake.
Sara – whose mother is a resident – thoroughly enjoyed her experience, noting that everyone had a lovely day, and both her and Jo found it a very rewarding way to spend their time out of the office.
“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Sara.
Four colleagues from DLP volunteered with the Manx Wildlife Trust at the Onchan Community Wetlands, a green oasis and a haven for wildlife known in Manx Gaelic as Curragh Kiondroghad, located on the Isle of Man in October 2025.
Dan, Philip, Michael and Dean spent the day working together to remove and replace a rotten wooden boardwalk with a new stone path, which is essential for local visitors to gain access to this beautiful area, especially those using wheelchairs, mobility aids or pushing prams.
Once the work was complete, Manx Wildlife Coordinator Hannah Phillips thanked the team for their efforts and for DLP for their support of local charities.
On the 9th October 2025, CEO Stephen, Sales Directors Stuart and Vince, and Business Development Manager Michael from AKW travelled to Woking to volunteer at the charity shop distribution centre for Shooting Star Children’s Hospice.
Here the team assisted with unloading a delivery of donated clothes, toys, books, cds/records, homewares and collectables, before sorting through and categorising these items, with those good enough to be sold on transported to Shooting Star’s high street charity shops.
Thank you to Shooting Star for the opportunity to spend a day volunteering with their team. Shooting Star are a leading children’s hospice charity supporting over 700 children and their families, throughout Surrey and across 14 boroughs of London, 365 days a year.
Throughout the summer months, DLP Procurement Team Lead, Allison Du Toit, lead a 6-week dance and exercise class at Waverley Court retirement complex in Douglas on the Isle of Man.
The sessions aimed to get the residents up and moving while promoting a ‘move it or lose it’ attitude to life. The classes were a huge success, with more residents signing up after each week!
On Friday 22nd August 2025, AKW proudly supported the Charity Trade Market hosted by Plumbase Stirling, in aid of local charity Start Up Stirling, who offer much-needed support to members of the local community through hardship.
AKW’s Bob and David volunteered to take a day off from their usual work and gladly joined more than 20 other suppliers the event at Broadleys Industrial Park, which included a BBQ and fantastic prizes to be won throughout the day, with every penny raised going to helping people in need in the local area.
In July, seven more volunteers from AKW in Droitwich Spa lent a hand at The Animal Pantry in Redditch, Worcestershire, who work hard to enhance quality of life for people of all abilities through engaging in therapeutic activities with animals.
The two-day project took place over the 30th-31st July and is the third that the AKW team have undertaken at the farm this year, after four volunteers got stuck in back in April, and two more visited in June.
AKW’s Stuart, Mark and Demi spent their day assisting the team with DIY tasks, such as fixing a door on the guinea pig hutch and mending the fence of the goat pen. They also helped with feeding the animals, poo picking, and cleaning of the pens – work that must seem never-ending on a working farm!
The following day, Lauren, Sophie, Jennifer and Lucy supported the day-to-day operations by feeding animals, mucking out the donkey, goat and chicken pens, before spending time socialising some of the newer animals to the Pantry, who will take part in therapeutic activities once they’re settled in their new home.
On 25th July 2025, AKW supported North Devon Homes with their annual Summer Fayre, an event which aims to offer a fun-filled, family day out for tenants and members of the local community who may not have the funds to do so themselves.
The fayre featured a number of stalls, with help and advice available from key stakeholders and partners, of which AKW was more than happy to support, with local Business Development Manager James keen to volunteer his time.
AKW were proud to attend the event and get the opportunity to speak to so many people for whom accessibility is such a high priority for them and their families.
AKW volunteers Nicole and Jo returned to Wildgoose Rural Training & Nature Reserve, along with first-timer Matt, in July 2025 after a fabulous experience back in 2023.
Located in the heart of the Worcestershire countryside, the 6 acre smallholding and 36 acre nature reserve provides opportunities for all people interested in working with the land, nature and animals to get involved, receive training and have some fun.
Each of the volunteers spent their day working on various projects across the site; Jo worked in the reserve where she helped students construct a house out of reeds to attract local Barn Owls to the area, with Nicole assisting students in the art cabin with crafting fairy mosaics, and Matt lending a hand in the mechanics workshop where he helped repair the brakes on a car!
On Friday 11th July 2025, AKW’s Laura volunteered at Felixstowe Disability Pride in Suffolk, the first event of its kind in the area which was organised by Ian Bell of Suffolk Mobility Solutions and Clare Lucas of UK Ducks in a Row.
The day began with a fabulous procession led by Samboomba Samba Band and stroke survivors, from SeaYou Café & Restaurant along the prom to Felixstowe Leisure Centre. Here a variety of performances took place outside, while a roadshow promoting local services and disabled providers was held inside.
Keen to support Ian and Clare with the inaugural event, Laura spent her working day assisting the volunteer operations team members with the set up of the exhibition, attending the event on behalf of AKW, and then helping with breaking down the event once the celebrations had concluded.
June 2025 saw multiple members of the DLP team return to Curragh’s Wildlife Park, a beautiful 26-acre wildlife and safari park located in the north-west wetland of the Isle of Man, which is home to a vast array of animals, including Chilean Flamingos, Red Pandas, Eurasian Lynx, several types of Monkey and Humboldt Penguins.
Volunteers Lisa, Dean, Richard, Lena, Paul, Dan, Junar and Kerrianne spent the day working outdoors in the Lemur enclosure after being asked to do some urgent remedial work on the path. They also checked and added additional posts and ropes to the play area, and tidied overgrown nettles and weeds.
“It was the most enjoyable day volunteering – the Lemurs enjoyed spending the day watching us at work and then enjoying their play time around the newly cleared area!”
In June 2025, AKW volunteers Mark and Donna visited The Animal Pantry in Redditch, Worcestershire, who aim to enhance quality of life for people of all abilities through engaging in therapeutic activities with animals.
After four volunteers visited back in April and loved their experience, Mark and Donna eagerly signed up to get the opportunity to assist the staff with feeding, grooming, and mucking out their beloved animals.
Following a tour of the farm and facilities, they were soon put to work with the Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Horses and Donkeys, with Shaun, the aptly named Sheep (pictured opp.) following closely behind, clearly doing a quality inspection of the work!
In spite of the blazing heat, they asked if there was any other tasks they could help with and spent their afternoon helping to paint the front of the stable!
In May 2025, several volunteers from DLP returned to the The Children’s Centre to support the team with a project to replace the polythene roof of one of their three large poly tunnels.
Based on 15 acres of land just outside Douglas on the Isle of Man, The Children’s Centre turns difficult life experiences into brighter futures for children, teens and families on the island, by providing services to directly address behavioural, learning or emotional well-being needs, which are often the result of these experiences, helping to bridge the gap in statutory provision before the point of crisis.
Multiple volunteers from AKW, Sanctuary and OCM teamed up for two days in May 2025 to help Worcester Snoezelen redecorate their portacabins, with colleagues spending their working day sanding, prepping, priming and painting for a fantastic cause.
Worcester Snoezelen is a leisure therapy centre offering a range of person-centred multisensory activities that empower, bring joy, and help members make choices and communicate through alternative means.
Having previously donated grab rails to the centre in 2024, we were thrilled to get the opportunity to return, with our efforts gratefully received by the Worcester Snoezelen team:
“I want to extend a HUGE thank you for your incredible efforts in organising and completing our Portacabin Painting project! Your hard work and generosity have truly transformed our cabins, giving them a fresh new look and ensuring they continue to be a welcoming space for our members. The improvements will directly enhance our specialist provisions, supporting people of all ages with disabilities and additional needs in Music, Art, and Yoga sessions!”
In May 2025, four colleagues from AKW visited Spirit of the Herd (SOTH) pony sanctuary, a not-for-profit rescue and rehabilitation home in Helsby, Cheshire, for horses and ponies with past issues relating to neglect, physical and mental abuse.
The volunteers spent a day helping to keep the ponies and horses fed, watered and in good health, by mucking out the stables and fields, filling sacks with manure for the charity to sell, refilling the ponies’ water buckets, feeding and grooming the Shetland ponies, and filling hay nets for the ponies to feed on.
In addition to caring for the ponies, SOTH help people by offering pamper and well-being sessions, as well as Equine Assisted Therapy to people in need of something a little different, in an effort to promote positive mental health.
In April 2025, members of the AKW team returned to Malvern in Worcestershire to help with fundraising activities at a retail park on behalf of Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter (WARS).
Laura and Dayna from the AKW Customer Services department in Droitwich Spa spent their working day at a local supermarket fundraising for and increasing awareness of WARS and the crucial support they offer to abandoned, mistreated or unwanted animals in need.
As a thank you for all their help, the ladies were later rewarded with animal befriending time back at the shelter, which they chose to spend with WARS’ resident cats!
In April 2025, four volunteers from AKW in Droitwich Spa travelled to Redditch to lend a hand at The Animal Pantry, a small, family-run business who aim to enhance quality of life by using their beloved animals to engage in therapeutic activities.
The team at The Animal Pantry pride themselves on the friendliness of their staff and their ability to offer hands-on experiences for people all abilities, and were thrilled to have AKW’s Jessica, Lisa, Samantha and Karen spend a day behind the scenes with them.
The ladies got stuck in and spent their time mucking out the resident horses, lambs, goats, turkeys and guinea pigs, hand-feeding the lambs and distributing feed to the other animals, walking the goats and grooming the horses and goats. Between them, they also moved an animal pen, swept the yard, and even cleaned a large horse/animal lorry!
Lisa said this of her experience: “It was a busy day but a very enjoyable one! The owners were lovely and so grateful for our help!”
In March 2025, AKW returned to St Richard’s Hospice for another day of volunteering in their charity shop warehouse, with three keen volunteers spending their working day sorting through items kindly donated by the general public.
Tom, Lauren and Ash helped to sort boxes of book donations; these were divided by genre, stickered, and then loaded onto pallets. The also worked through a pallet of women’s clothing; this involved hanging items on hangers so they could be reviewed and priced up, before being sent on to the St Richard’s Hospice shops for re-sale.
Sustainability Manager Lauren thoroughly enjoyed her time at St Richard’s: “Volunteering at the warehouse was such an eye-opening experience! I was amazed by the sheer volume of clothes we had to sort through and it felt great to contribute and help to keep operations running smoothly. Knowing that our efforts supported the charity’s vital work made it even more rewarding.”
February 2025 saw volunteers from AKW return to Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter in Malvern, where they lent the WARS team a hand with the repainting of their animal rehoming area.
After spending their morning redecorating, Paul, Mandy, Amelia and Liz had plenty of time in the afternoon to walk, play and feed the resident animals, and clean out their living quarters.
HR Administrator Liz adopted her dog from WARS and jumped at the opportunity to volunteer: “I love WARS after adopting my Doug from them, so it was so lovely to see the team again. The work they do is just fab; I wouldn’t hesitate to go back!”
As part of our ongoing support for WARS, AKW have sponsored the month of August in their 2024 calendar, and have plans for more volunteering projects later in 2025.
On Friday 14th February 2025, AKW supported Sanctuary Care with a special Valentine’s Day lunch event at Park View Care Home in Sheffield.
Content Manager Laura spent a morning playing Dominoes with Jim, before painting Janet, Christine, Vera and Sylvia’s nails in time for lunch with their husbands, which they absolutely loved.
Six couples, three of whom reside together at Park View, including Vera and Reg who have been married for 60 years, then enjoyed a special three-course meal for Valentine’s Day. Each couple dined at their own table which were decorated with paper roses and love hearts, and were treated to glasses of pink Prosecco, and Cadbury Milk Tray chocolates gifted by the AKW team.
Laura thoroughly enjoyed her experience assisting the Sanctuary Care team with serving the couples their meal and spending time with the Home’s residents, who were a pleasure to talk to and play games with.
On 13th January 2025, AKW’s Craig Phelan and XPO’s Matt kindly supported Mears Group PLC with fundraising for Longfield Community Hospice at their Christmas Tree Recycling Event.
The annual event sees volunteers collect Christmas trees from postcodes across Gloucestershire for a small donation. The trees are then taken to recycling points across the county, where they’re chipped into mulch and reused locally.
The fundraiser aims to raise £72,000 for Longfield, who provide free care for adults in Gloucestershire with life-limiting illnesses, as well as support for their loved ones and carers. This amount of money will help to fund over 1,300 hours of Hospice at Home care and support wellbeing, counselling and bereavement services.
After a wonderful experience in 2023, several colleagues from AKW visited Sanctuary Housing communities at Westmead Residential Care Home, Droitwich Spa and Middleton House Retirement Community, Cheltenham in December 2024.
Our team of volunteers spent a day with excited residents where they made gingerbread houses and greetings cards in preparation for the festive period.
A great time was had by all, thank you very much to everyone at Sanctuary Housing who made the AKW team so incredibly welcome, and to the lovely residents who brought smiles to all our faces.
Regional Director of Sales, Kyle Knights, and Business Development Managers, Laura Walsh and Neil Garside, travelled to Blackpool in December 2024 to support Blackpool Coastal Housing with the redecoration of a new tenant flat as part of their Positive Transitions pathway service.
Set up 2018, the service provides tailored, intensive tenancy management and life coaching for young people leaving care to help them become successful tenants and positive contributors to the community.
The AKW team spent a day assisting Positive Transitions Officer, Jane, with wallpapering and painting of a property in a style chosen by the tenant who has recently left care. The project aims to gives the tenant influence over the finish of their flat, including the colour scheme and general furnishings.
It’s often difficult to find support for these young people to decorate their new flats, so we’re very grateful to have been part of this tenant’s story and contribute to their new life living independently.
After a successful volunteering project in November 2023, a team from DLP returned in October 2024 to the Isle of Man Children’s Centre.
Located at Wallberry Farm in Braddan, the centre operates a 15-acre community farm which is home to animals and polytunnels for growing plants. They also provide facilities for arts, crafts, pottery, woodworking, and technology, with the centre’s spaces offering hands-on experiences and therapeutic activities for children and young people from the island.
DLP volunteers – Dan, Chris, Warren, Dave, Steve, and Simon – spent the day repairing one of the farm’s essential polytunnels and assisted with other tasks around the site. Their hard work made a meaningful contribution to this vital resource that supports local children and families in need, and they can’t wait to return in the future.
The AKW team took a trip out to Malvern in August 2024, where they volunteered at Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter (WARS), who give shelter, medical treatment and care to abandoned, unwanted or mistreated animals, and rehome cats, dogs and ex-battery hens.
Across two days, AKW’s Laura, Mandy, Josh, Karen, Elizabeth, Samantha, Nina and Lauren helped the WARS team with the building of their memorial garden which will be used to walk the resident dogs in their care once finished.
The volunteers also assisted the centre staff with taking care of the animals by walking, feeding and cleaning out kennels, and of course, they got ample time to play with their new furry friends too!
The Moving Forward project is a community hub based at Westlands Community Centre in Droitwich Spa which offers a wide range of services for residents and is funded by The National Lottery Fund.
On 14th August 2024, the Moving Forward team held a family fun day which included a variety of fun activities for local families, such as bouncy castles, rides, ice cream, glitter tattoos, boxing and other events.
The AKW team, comprised of Tom, Joanne, Christina, Chloe, Lucy and Ian, spent their working day manning the refreshments stall which allowed the event team to focus on spending time with local residents.
In June, four AKW colleagues spent a day volunteering at two Age UK Dementia Day Centres in Gateshead and Doncaster.
Regional Director of Sales, Bob, Business Development Managers, Carl and Adam, and Engineer, Dave, played sports with the clients, helped them take part in various arts and crafts activities, assisted the carers with preparing and delivering beverages, and got the chance to sit and chat with the clients, and learn a little more about their lives.
Bob described his experience in Gateshead as “a privilege” and was grateful to listen to the Centre’s clients share their stories. All involved have praised the Age UK team for their hard work and dedication, with more volunteering opportunities now being organised with the charity throughout 2024.
In December 2023, sixteen AKW colleagues visited three local Sanctuary Housing care homes in Worcester, Droitwich Spa and Iffley, where volunteers provided companionship to residents while making gingerbread houses and greetings cards, and taking part in a festive quiz.
Every single one of our volunteers had a lovely time getting to know the residents and thoroughly enjoyed spreading some Christmas cheer at the most wonderful time of the year.
In November 2023, ten colleagues from DLP had the privilege of volunteering at the Isle of Man Children’s Centre, where the team were tasked with constructing a boardwalk and installing a new door for the Centre’s roundhouse building.
With sleeves rolled up and tools in hand, they tackled the projects with enthusiasm and determination, with each person bringing their unique skills and expertise to the table, resulting in a collaborative effort that surpassed expectations.
The team enjoyed their experience so much that they are very excited to plan another volunteering opportunity soon.
Eleven colleagues from DLP visited Curraghs Wildlife Park in autumn 2023, where they dismantled an existing indoor play frame for the Park’s resident Macaques – who are considered vulnerable or officially endangered – before installing a brand-new frame and play equipment for the primates to enjoy.
The team also donated materials to be repurposed into tabletops and feeding tables, which were very well received by the Macaques and Silvery Gibbons!
In August 2023, a team of four from AKW volunteered at Wildgoose Rural Training & Nature Reserve, a care farm for adults and young people, who teach students about horticulture, conservation, farming, arts and crafts, cooking, mechanics, and animal care.
Two volunteers served breakfast to guinea pigs, tortoises, snakes, ferrets, alpacas, goats, pigs and more, before mucking out the goat and alpaca fields with the students, while another helped students tasked with cutting back long greenery to clear a public walkway.
They later worked in the greenhouse repotting plants and learning how to make a biodegradable plant pot from newspaper, with one of the team taking part in a wood working session with students making decorative mirrors.
In June 2023, AKW colleagues visited Petty Pool Vocational College & Outdoor Centre, a specialist education provider for young people with learning disabilities and difficulties that supports over 113 full-time learners through leisure, vocational and community activities.
The volunteers assisted students with building bird houses, as well as painting fences and sheds to help the on-site maintenance team, who balance maintaining the grounds while also teaching students valuable labour skills.
The AKW team thoroughly enjoyed the day and were grateful to be well taken care of by everyone at Petty Pool; the team later returned to the college to offer more support after such a wonderful experience.
In June 2023, three AKW colleagues volunteered at the distribution centre for St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester, where they were tasked with sorting stock in preparation for sale in various charity shop locations.
St Richard’s Hospice care for people with serious progressive illnesses who have complex needs which cannot be met by other services, these include cancer, as well as neurological, respiratory, cardiac, and renal conditions.
The team’s highlight of the day was sorting out the fancy dress box, which provided some entertaining photos and lots of laughs; they enjoyed the day so much that they returned five months later!
In May 2022, twenty members of the DLP team volunteered to spend a Saturday morning helping to lay 10 tonnes of stone onto the trails at Archallagan Trail Park on the Isle of Man.
The team enjoyed their time at the park so much, that fourteen colleagues later returned in 2023. During their second outing, they assisted the groundskeepers with an intensive gardening project to clear bushes and overgrown land, in order for them to build a new community trail.