RSA and Nationwide Building Society have teamed up to raise a total of £1015 for charities that support the homeless in Peterborough. More than 50 colleagues also volunteered for a range of local causes that help rough sleepers in the city.

In the largest charity event the RSA Peterborough team has undertaken so far, £655 was raised for Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, while £360 was also raised for Light Project Peterborough, a local charity that amongst other projects runs the Peterborough Winter Night Shelter and Garden House day centre for rough sleepers. In 2018, the RSA Peterborough team, provided approximately 300 volunteer hours and raised £4,000 for charitable causes.

RSA and Nationwide colleagues volunteered for three different local causes:

• The Peterborough Soup Kitchen – nine members of staff volunteered at the kitchen, helping to provide food for the homeless. They spent the day cooking food and then served around 70 homeless people in the evening.
• Light Project Peterborough – 39 volunteers cleared up the overgrown garden in the charity’s Garden House. This is used as a space to provide support to Peterborough’s rough sleepers, with hairdressers, GPs and employment agencies on site to help the homeless back into society.
• The YMCA– Seven volunteers are supporting YMCA Trinity Group, a local charity that gives young people a brighter future, by painting a studio flat for one of the residents.

After finishing their activities, the volunteers returned to RSA’s Peterborough office for fundraising activities, including a treasure hunt, games of giant Jenga, three-legged races and more.

They then spent the night sleeping under the stars in a sleeping bag and cardboard box to raise money through GoFundMe.

Sara Lane, team leader, household at RSA, said,“Nationwide is a close partner of ours and supporting the homeless is a cause that is close to our hearts. I’m thrilled that so many people volunteered and were able to make such a difference for these crucial charities in Peterborough. We also all had fun taking part and volunteering helped to build a stronger sense of camaraderie among the team.”

Paul Carvell, head of general insurance and protection propositions at Nationwide Building Society said, “At Nationwide we firmly believe everyone should have a home to call their own, but sadly for many this isn’t the case. For those who are living on the streets, local charities that help the homeless are a lifeline and donations help them keep providing this vital work. We are really pleased that along with our partner, RSA, we were able to raise money to support these local charities.”

Amanda Pauling, accommodation director at YMCA Trinity Group commented,“We’re hugely grateful to RSA and Nationwide Building Society for their practical support. We believe that every person should have a safe place to stay and the Peterborough team played a vital role in that. We would like to thank the volunteers for their genuine enthusiasm and desire to support those who experience homelessness in our city.”

Steven Pettican, chief executive officer at Light Project Peterborough, said, “We have been serving and supporting people to get off the streets in Peterborough since 2015 and now with our new day centre the Garden House, we are seeing many more people helped. We are extremely grateful to RSA and Nationwide; all the amazing volunteers for their help. Without the local community we could not do what we do!”