As part of their management training programme, Amlin, recently completed a 3-day CSR project.  The project included 2-days at Newlands Bishop Farm in Solihull, which is a social enterprise run by adults with learning difficulties.   The farm is helping young people of all abilities to find their feet and to grow in confidence and ability, whilst providing work, training and social skills for those involved.

The Amlin group built a shelter for recycling rain water which is next to the allotment.  The allotment provides food for the farm to sell.  They then built an irrigation system to fill water butts (which is about 5,000 litres) which helps water the garden and vegetables.  Then finished off by creating a farm shop out of an old stable to sell the produce in.  A fantastic achievement by all in just 2 days!   Why not do something like this within your company?  www.csrprojects.com

Across the Divide managing director Mark Hannaford has just recently returned from carrying out a site visit to the east African country of Malawi

Malawi in one of the poorest nations in the world but inhabited seemingly by some of the world friendliest – their catch phrase is that they are the ‘sunny heart of Africa’ and my experiences seem to bear this out. The scenery also exceeded my expectations with a great deal more variation than I expected from high but accessible mountains to verdant tea plantations as well as numerous small traditional African villages easily matching most people’s expectations of the ‘real’ Africa. It is also a highly traditional country with a well established network of missions dating back to Livingstone’s age of exploration engaged in a wide range of community initiatives along with a number of enlightened tourism operators who have also established a wide network of charitable or CSR projects – one of Across the Divide’s area of growth.

There are a number of excellent trekking areas in both the south on Mount Mulange and to the north of the country near the Ntchisi Forest Reserve which has the additional benefit of being only two hour’s drive from Lilongwe and which will, with further investigation, yield some excellent and worthwhile projects. A wide range of water sports are available on Lake Malawi including multi day kayaking trips.

Will we be including Malawi in out list of destinations – yes you bet we are.

Many thanks for to the Malawi Tourism Marketing Consortium for helping making the in-country arrangements.

Saturday saw the third successful Just Walk take place in the South Downs, West Sussex. The one-day walking challenge saw over 700 people walking 10, 20, 40 or 60 kilometres fundraise for a charity of choice.

The event was opened by Olympic medal winner and keen athlete, Acer Nethercott. Acer said, “Just Walk is a wonderful event. It’s fabulous to see so many people out in the open air, raising funds for their chosen charity. I hope to take part myself next year!”

Our biggest corporate team was a group of 80+ from Siemens.  Who were raising funds for a variety of charities from Cancer Research UK to Help the Aged.  Early reports is in total they’ve raised over £10,000.

Across the Divide began Just Walk as a result of continued requests from charities wanting to get involved in fundraising walks, but unable to invest time and money into their own events. To date, Just Walk has raised over £1 million for over 200 charities.

Gemma Phillips, UK Events Co-ordinator at Across the Divide says, “The event was a great success. It was our biggest year yet with a fantastic turn out on a beautiful day. The walk was tough in places but we had some very happy walkers crossing the finish line. Here’s to Just Walk 2010.”

The next Just Walk event will be taking place on 15 May 2010 and for a limited time only we are offering 10% off all registrations fees – so join us now.

We are pleased to have recently partnered with the Energy, Projects and Construction team at the legal firm, CMS Cameron McKenna. Historically, each year the team enjoys a Team Away Day and previous events included outward bound days and sailing trips.

This year they were looking for a team event that was challenging, fulfilling and most importantly would result in a tangible benefit for a charity or community group. They engaged Across the Divide (ATD) to help source, prepare and deliver their event.

The criteria for sourcing the charity partner and project were straightforward enough. The EPC team needed a project that would:

• engage the full range of people within their team
• be within one hour of London
• keep 70 people busy for one day
• and… most importantly result in a lasting and sustainable outcome.  

What we did next…   

Across the Divide explored possible options via our contacts within the charity and voluntary sectors. This resulted in a comprehensive long-list for the client. Possible projects included creating wildlife gardens in schools, constructing a woodland walk, decorating a home for young people and developing a community allotment. The project that client finally chose was to provide assistance at a Leonard Cheshire residential home for residents with disabilities.

About the project

The project proposed by Leonard Cheshire was designed to achieve two outcomes. Firstly, we would support the work of the site gardener by assisting with major maintenance work. The gardener looks after 6 acres of grounds and it can be a real struggle to find the time to deliver larger scale work. Our work involved:

• cutting back, pruning, tidying and clearing the trees/shrubs that lined the 150 metres driveway
• lining the driveway with marker posts to provide a safe route for residents 
• plant flowering bulbs to provide colour alongside the entrance to the site.

What a difference……

Initially the client wondered whether one day of activity could make a difference. However, 70 people volunteering a 7 hour day equates to 14 weeks full time for the gardener.

Secondly, the Centre was extremely keen to install two new features for the benefit of the residents:

• a sensory walkway accessible from wheelchairs
• two raised bed planters designed for growing vegetables

How the day went

After an initial welcome from the Centre Manager and a full briefing on health and safety, the groups got underway with the projects. For these events to be successful, it has always felt important to ATD that the participants/teams have full ownership for the project and can achieve the best possible outcome for the charity. To this end, each team was supported by a member of the Across the Divide team. Their role is to guide and advise the team on the technical elements of the project. The also manage and oversee the health and safety of the participants.  

By the end of the day, the team had:

• re-landscaped the driveway and generated over 25 trailer loads of green waste ready for composting.
• installed and painted over 75 marker posts alongside the drive.
• planted 700 spring flowering bulbs.
• constructed a sensory walkway and planted over 80 plants chosen for the sight, sound, taste, smell and touch qualities.
• constructed 2 raised bed planters designed to maximise wheel chair access and filled with 6 tonnes of topsoil. 

Across the Divide worked with the Simplyhealth Project team to design a CSR project that was worthwhile, innovative, sustainable and made ‘more people feel better’.  

Simplyhealth is a group of healthcare businesses that have joined together with the common purpose of helping more people feel better and engaged with Across the Divide to provide an innovative Corporate Social Responsibility Project.

The solution as partnership between Simplyhealth and the Goias State Government in Brazil providing matched funding and ongoing staff and equipment resourcing to build a small state healthcare centre in rural Brazil to serve the Kalunga people.

I’ve never been so proud in my life as when we stood in front of the building ready to hand it over to the villagers. Boyd Galloway

We chose Across the Divide to source and plan our trip, primarily because of the principles that underpin the way that they work. From the very first meeting we had, what they stood for shone through, and it meant a lot to us that they weren’t after a quick buck – they genuinely cared about the community we would be helping and the wellbeing of our staff.  Charlotte Willis, Simplyhealth.

Find out more about Across the Divide’s Corporate Social Responsibility solutions for companies by emailing Mark Hannaford here.

At the end of September 32 members of the Prince’s Trust Womens’ Leadership Group embarked upon a week long trip to Namibia, trekking 100km in one of the oldest deserts in the world. This is an extremely harsh environment. Although the night was distinctly cold, and even damp, the days became as hot as 34C and there was no escape from the rays of the sun for several hours at a time.

Although at times, sand and gravel seemed to stretch into eternity, this is in fact an incredibly varied and beautiful world. 250ft sand dunes, gravel plains, moonscape valleys, prehistoric plants, bizarre insects and lizards, ostrich, baboons, antelope and the footprints (thankfully) of big cats and hyenas were all encountered.

Great friendships were forged. There was laughter and singing. And a few tears of pain, success, and appreciation were shed too.

Everyone met a challenge, and everyone came through satisfied and proud, thanks to the determination and support of the group. The WLG has raised over £130k from the event to help them assist young disadvantaged women transform their lives through education and enterprise.

Mike Taylor, Expedition Leader

To view more of the Prince’s Trust overseas challenges click here.

Across the Divide and the Booby Moore Trust have recently returned from an amazing CSR project in Brazil.

Across the Divide has worked hand-in-hand with the Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres to develop a series of fundraising events of which the London Night Hike is one. This years event was even more successful than last years – why not sign your company team up.

Novelist Jojo Moyes explains why she joined 1,500 people for a night hike through London

Source: the Daily Telegraph | Monday 22nd September | written by JoJo Moyes

Pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor gazed at the crowd in front of London’s City Hall, and then down at her trainers. “You can tell I’m truly serious about this because I’m wearing the ugliest shoes possible,” she sighed. “And in public.”

Walk on: Moyes hiked 20 miles, and all night, for cancer patients
Like Ellis-Bextor, I am not a natural walker. I’m happiest behind my desk writing novels, so it was surreal to find myself wedged between her, presenter Anneka Rice, and Sarah Brown, wife of the Prime Minister, as we joined 1,500 people to walk 20 miles on Friday night.

The 2008 London Night Hike was in aid of Maggie’s Centres, buildings situated next to NHS hospitals that aim to treat people with cancer as humans, rather than patients (there are six centres around the UK and seven more planned by 2012).

Brown, a Maggie’s patron who opened the centre in Fife, counted us down at 10pm, and, in a sea of balloons and yellow T-shirts, the hikers set off.

Janet Ellis, former Blue Peter presenter, and Ellis-Bextor’s mother, had done the 2007 walk. “The people are inspirational. I met a father and daughter, who had been diagnosed within weeks of each other. It does hurt, in the small hours. But you think ‘if they can do it…”

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One highlight of the hike was the chance to visit buildings normally closed to the public, such as Battersea Power Station or the Royal Geographical Society. (Maggie’s Centres place an emphasis on architecture: its patrons include Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and Frank Gehry.)

Anneka Rice lives close to Charing Cross Hospital and knows well the futuristic Rogers-designed orange Maggie’s building. “It’s phenomenal. It’s like a Tardis inside. So I jumped at the chance to join in.”

Fitness levels varied, from veteran power-walkers to the woman optimistically wearing flip-flops. I walked with five team-mates, The Trespassers, and we had been training since June, building up from three miles. Constrained by the demands of work and children, none of us had exceeded 12 miles, and initially we struggled.

It is hard to be diverted by architecture when you know you have miles to go, so our stops were short and focused (loo, drink, stretch). We would also lie down, trying to drain the blood pooling in our feet.

We were more often diverted by drunks. A few tried to pop our balloons; most offered slurred words of encouragement. One man pressed money on us (we assumed it was for charity.)

We also discovered the body reacts strangely the further you walk. The slight ache in my hips at seven miles had, by 12, spread to my feet. At 15, my fingers swelled up and I relied on Ibuprofen.

Other team-mates suffered with necks, backs, and stomach cramp, possibly from the constant eating and drinking en route. Oddly, we never felt tired, and none suffered blisters – our running shoes had been professionally fitted.

When the pain, or the distance, made us despondent, we told jokes, swore and put it all in perspective. As my friend Nicola remarked: “Refugees walk twice this far, fleeing soldiers with their children on their backs – and without the benefit of £70 trainers.”

And we were encouraged by those around. Everyone had a reason for being there. It was clear in the poignant labels tucked into their bowler hats – “Dad”, or “Katie”.

Hours later, it was there in the determined expressions of those limping to the finish. Periodically, I texted my friend Jeannie, who is undergoing treatment at Charing Cross Hospital.

By the time we limped across Tower Bridge at 6am on Saturday, our mood lifted. We had done it, raising £1,700 for Maggie’s. On a superficial note, I had dropped half a stone. Would I do it again? The answer is: yes, probably.

As Janet Ellis said, as she queued with us for a 7am bacon sandwich, medals around her neck: “Yes, the last bit was hard. But it’s worth it. How can it not be?”

• For more information go to www.maggiescentres.org.

International lawfirm CMS Cameron McKenna comes to the rescue of Oxfordshires John Masefield Cheshire Home near Abingdon.

In partnership with Across the Divides CSR Projects team headed up by CSR Director Ian McLaughlin almost 70 members of Cameroon McKenna worked to achieve three main projects to assist the care home gardener and the centre management team.

The John Masefield Cheshire Home sits within some splendid grounds of mature trees and gardens overlooking the banks of the River Thames and it an ongoing challenge for the centre gardener to keep ahead of the work created.   Across the Divide identified the centre as being a suitable partners for CMK and drew up the plans for three major projects that the team could achieve in the time available.  

Amongst the tasks achieved by Cameroon McKenna team was clearing the main entrance of overhanging foliage, planting flowering bulbs and demarking the roadway with clear markers to help provide a psychological barrier for centre users, building a sensory garden for use by the residents and constructing two vegetable planters.

Superb weather saw us through an amazingly productive day both in terms of what was achieved on the ground but also in terms of team spirit and commitment to the project

A little history

The John Masefield Cheshire Home is built on the site of the home of the poet John Masefield whose house burnt down and family donated the land to Leonard Cheshire.

John Edward Masefield,  (1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until his death in 1967.   Perhaps the most famous Masefield quotation is from “Sea-Fever”:  

“All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by.”

Besides being used in many other written works, this quotation was also referenced in the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Though not directly stated to be so, it hearkens back to a conversation between Kirk and Dr. McCoy in the original Star Trek series episode “The Ultimate Computer”. The scene in Star Trek V opens with Kirk quoting Masefield, and McCoy incorrectly stating that it was a quote by Melville. This precipitates a rather amusing argument between “Bones” and Spock, who correctly identifies the author. Source: Wikipedia

Extreme weather does not halt another awesome challenge on Exmoor. 150 people rose above the elements over the weekend to complete the Capgemini Wild UK Challenge and in the process raised over £100,000 for the Prince’s Trust. 30 teams took on the hiking, navigating, kayaking and mountain biking despite some of the worst weather of the year. Torrential rain through Friday and into Saturday turned the tracks to streams and the camps into mud baths, but thanks to amazing sprit from the competitors and endless hard work from the Across the Divide Team the event was a huge success and a great experience for all involved.

The winning team was Avanade Athletic with a record score. They like all teams involved took on the event with great energy and big smiles and despite the wet weather the event ended in the sunshine after 3 days and 100 miles through this stunning part of the West Country.

• Across the Divide
• Avanade
• Cap Gemini
• Prince’s Trust
• Wild Challange

Just Walk is an exciting sponsored UK charity walk for anyone wanting to fundraise for the charity of their choice.

Gemma & Julie from ATD HQ recently made a trip down to Wales to present the winning team with the Corporate Team Challenge Cup.

The team from Corus Steelworks, Llanwern, Newport were made up of Michael Hill, Bryn Hewitt-Thomas and David Williams. The Just Walk Corporate Team Challenge was a 60km walk in a day, over the beautiful South Downs, whilst taking part in challenges along the way.

Mike said that it “was harder than the Three Peaks Challenge they had done the year before”.

To take part in next years Corporate Team challenge email Gemma or visit the website
www.just-walk.co.uk

Across The Divide www.acrossthedivide.com, the UK based expedition company, has just announced that they are introducing a number of new adventure opportunities to their already extensive list of expeditions, challenges and events. These include the extreme dog sled in Norway, adventure races in India, Namibia and Iceland, a multi-activity challenge in Borneo, and a school project in South Africa.

Across The Divide was established in 1996 by Mark and Karen Hannaford, using their many years of experience in organising expeditions and managing large events and has helped to raise, over the past ten years, £27 million ( $53 million ) for charitable causes.

These are just a few of the hundreds of adventures that are available with Across the Divide to destinations as far afield as Peru, and China, or closer to home in the UK. Mark Hannaford, Managing Director of Across The Divide, explains,

” Across the Divide have been running charity and corporate challenges since 1996. We pride ourselves on being the safest around offering the best for our clients. The events are often life changing experiences; you visit amazing parts of the world, learn about different cultures and share the spirit of adventure with like-minded people.”

The company was recently listed as 

‘one of the best sites to help happy travellers on their way’,

by Damian Noonan of The Times newspaper. He said,

“These people lead charity adventure holidays of all kinds, from ‘extreme challenges’such as climbing a 7,000m peak in Chile with Simon Yates of Touching the Void, to a 24-hour walk on the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire. Help a good cause while having a good time.”

Across the Divide organise events for individuals, as well as groups, both in the UK and abroad. They pride themselves on their attention to detail and being the safest around for their clients. They are an expedition company, not a charity holiday company, which makes a vast difference in the standard of service that they provide for their clients. No matter how small an event is, it is treated as a mini-expedition, which ensures that no detail is overlooked. This guarantees the safety, and happiness, of all participants.

Many of the challenges that Across the Divide offers are truly once in a lifetime opportunities. They are also potentially life changing; not only for the participants themselves, but also for the charities or projects that they are helping by undertaking a particular expedition.

Across the Divide supports the work of the Expedition and Wilderness Medicine training courses in Keswick which prepares expedition medics to work in remote locations. Unique medical training courses are also available, specific to particular regions, including Desert, Polar, and Jungle.

For details of all of the current expeditions available, or for further information, please visit the Across the Divide website here. You can also contact them using the following methods:

Telephone: +44 (0)1460 30456

Email: Julie@acrossthedivide.com

Fax: +44 (0)1460 30444

Mailing address:
Across the Divide Limited | Jubilee House | Fore Street | Thorncombe | Nr Chard | Somerset | TA20 4PP | UNITED KINGDOM

Across the Divide charity and CSR employee engagement projects in action.

One of the things we are really proud of here at ATD is our projects. The Bobby Moore Fund have since 2005 taken part in projects renovating schools and football pitches in partnership with the local communities.

This year they are taking on a project in South Africa and in February/March next year Ecuador. The projects will give local children the chance to continue their education in their own villages.

Both projects end with a football match against a local team followed by a celebration dinner.

For further information check out the Booby Moore project list here.

CSR Projects

Simplyhealth asked Across the Divide to source a project that would be a suitable reward for their Being the Difference programme. Our challenge was to find a project that made a real difference to the community, involved the Simplyhealth team in the delivery and where the experience would be rewarding and memorable. The ideal project solution would also be linked to health care.
 
Our  sourcing was successful and we have found a great project for the team to deliver. The team are going to work in the village of Engenho, which is located 4 hours north of Brasilia. Engenho is part of the Kalunga Community, where community members are descendents of escaped African slaves. The community survives on sustainable agriculture and services in the area are extremely limited. At present there is no health provision within the community and the nearest medical facilities are as far as two days walk for some members of the community. The Simplyhealth project is the construction of a new Health Centre. The work will commence in mid July, with a team of local builders commencing the project. They will joined by the Simplyhealth team in October to complete the final stages. The team will help with painting, decorating, glazing, landscaping and the hand-over of the building to the community. The project is fully sustainable with a commitment from the local council to provide the medical provision once the Centre opens.
 
Throughout their time in Engenho, the team will also experience first hand the Kalunga lifestyle. They will have a chance to sample local music, dance and cultural activities. The team will also spend some time in Brasilia meeting representatives from the health sector to understand the positive  impact the Health Centre will make in a remote rural community. 

Simplyhealth

Kalunga :: the meaning of a word

Originally the ancestral god of the Lunda people of Angola, Zaire and Zambia. Later he became the supreme being, a god of the sky and of creation. He is all-knowing and all-seeing, and a righteous judge of the dead whose decisions are characterized by wisdom and compassion. As the god of the dead he is associated with the underworld and the sea (which is regarded as the realm of the dead). Kalunga is the father of the popular patron god Musisi.

Kalunga is also the name of the god of the sea in the pantheon of African deities worshipped in the Congo-Angola cult of Bahia, Brazil.

CSR Projects in action

Simplyhealth specialises in healthcare schemes and services for individuals, families and companies, which range from cash plans, dental plans and private medical insurance, to health screening, occupational health and mobility products.

At Simplyhealth we focus on helping customers with their healthcare, we do the right thing and we do it the right way. We help people in any way we can all day long and we work hard at being ourselves, the best person we can be. How we make others feel matters to us.
 
CSR
Our attitude and approach to CSR is deeply rooted. CSR at Simplyhealth is not a separate programme which runs alongside some of our other more traditional business activities. Helping people will always remain our lifeblood and the purpose of our business. Put another way, Simplyhealth will embrace CSR, not because we have to but because it’s the right thing to do.

At Simplyhealth we don’t just measure our CSR input, but also the outcomes and difference we all make.

Being the Difference Awards
In October 2007 we introduced our ‘Being the Difference’ Awards. The awards have been designed to truly engage our people and draw Simplyhealth together by capturing, sharing, celebrating and rewarding our staff who are being the difference. This could be in the workplace with colleagues or customers, in the marketplace with our suppliers, or within our local communities making a difference to charities or the environment.

Over the last 9 months the awards have generated over 80 nominations, where 30 quarter finalists have now been chosen. Our Judging Panel now have the unenvious task of deciding which 10 people will be chosen as Simplyhealth Ambassadors and enjoy a one in a lifetime trip to Brazil.

Simplyhealth

Across the Divide are pleased to announce the success of our second Just Walk Charity Walk

On Saturday 10^th May 2008 with 400 walkers taking part, 115 of these challenging themselves to the big 60km route. This means that our walkers covered a total of 12,540 km’s of West Sussex countryside between them. Our first 20km walker took only 3 and a half hours to cross the finish line and the first group to complete the 60km challenge took an impressive 11 hours including their stops!

It was a beautiful, sunny day, hot at times, but this did not deter our walkers from completing the most rewarding challenge. Our walkers have raised an estimated £400,000 for around 117 different charities. They deserve a huge congratulations for completing the walk and working so hard to raise money for all their charities; without their enthusiasm and determination the event would not be the success that it was.

Tony Ford the Event Manager for Just Walk had this to say:

‘The event was a great success and considering the warm weather we had few medical situations to deal with. We are all already looking forward to a bigger and better Just Walk 2009.’

So far the feedback from the walkers has been excellent and very positive, examples of comments are:

‘Thanks to the whole team for a great day, it was such a well organised event and the support from marshals etc was excellent and much appreciated.’

‘I just wanted to say that Mum and I had the most fantastic time today doing the 20km walk. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere was amazing, and we both thought it was extremely well organised. So many people worked to make it a great day and it really was. Neither of us have done anything like this before, but we’d both do it again!’

‘I just wanted to share our feelings and express how much we appreciated all the hard work that went into making the day such a huge success.’

‘We had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; this was mainly down to the outstanding organisation and wonderful staff. The atmosphere was brilliant. We will see you again next year.’

‘A short note to thank you and all the Just Walk team for not only an excellently managed day on Saturday but for all the build up information e-mailed to the walkers.’

‘Thank you very much indeed for organising such a terrific day on Saturday. We all thought it was incredibly well organised and enormous fun.’

‘Just to say a big thank you to all the people who were involved in the walk on Saturday. I think maybe they had all been handpicked because each one was nicer than the next with big smiles and so helpful.’

CSR and Community Project Solutions

Appointed RSA Fellow

Mark Hannaford has been invited to join the RSA as a Fellow.

The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce) works to remove the barriers to social progress.

‘Corporate social responsibility, once a do-gooding sideshow, is now seen as mainstream. But as yet too few companies are doing it well’ Economist Jan 17th 2008

However, the definition of what CSR actually is actually pretty vague and mainly organisations find the use of the word ’social’ as being too narrow and prefer phases such as ‘corporate citzenship’ and ‘business in the community’ or as it the case with Marks & Spencers ‘Plan A’ because it is more a way of doing business rather than a set of separate policies.

Distilling the messages out of all of these slogans and labels is a drive for business, in its widest definition, to contribute more to the community both local and worldwide with or without employee engagement in the process.  

The organisations that do this best though maximise these policies by not only ensuring that they are indeed feeding back into their communities but also engage their workforce in the process generating additional spin off benefits in terms of staff morale, motivation and satisfaction which in turns increase staff retention rates.

CSR Projects, part of Across the Divide who have over the past decade helped to raise over £27 million for charitable causes, offers community based projects which carry real risk and are of real consequence. It therefore engages employees and carries a focus on personal, team and corporate values never really seen before in conventional programmes. With real time and resource considerations, the community CSR projects present deliverable objectives by which participants and teams can measure their own performance.  Where required, it provides a tangible model for team development at work whilst creating a fun, interactive and engaging atmosphere far removed from the workplace.

In a recent study by the Princes Trust of the ATD corporate engagement the feedback from company participants gave the following feedback

78% | of participating staff said the Challenge improved their team-working
skills, and more than 60% found their organisational, leadership and
communications skills improved.

92% | of employees surveyed have built stronger relationships with
colleagues by taking part in a Prince’s Trust Challenge

68% | of participants feel more engaged with their company

65% | of participating staff have made new contacts within their industry

Good for your business

Actions speak louder than words
Good organisations have a commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). One challenge is how to articulate that commitment to your employees and the wider community. One approach is to do it with actions. Having a team of employees deliver a worthwhile project sends a positive message to clients, customers, stakeholders and colleagues about what your organisation believes in, stands for and is willing to invest in.

Furthermore, the power and energy of a group of colleagues who have worked together to deliver a project of real benefit, can transcend organisations. Their personal stories, photo’s and case studies can raise a huge awareness about what real corporate social responsibility means.

Learning from doing
There is significant research that states that people learn by experiencing. Our CSR projects provide the perfect environment for that learning experience. It involves real people, real risk, real challenges, real output, has real clients/customers and is of real consequence.  With our facilitation, the learning is real and for the long term.

Developing teams
Most organisations are structured around teams and their effectiveness is critical to business performance. Whether it is team building, team development, networking or new project team kick off’s, a CSR project is a great environment for developing team performance. It provides an excellent opportunity for working together to achieve an output of real benefit for both the team and the project partner.       

Good for your Project Partner
Whether it is a community group in the local town or a remote project in Africa, the project partners are the key beneficiaries of the events. It is incredible the difference a group of motivated, committed and enthusiastic volunteers can make at the project site. Our role is to manage the relationship between the organisation and the project partner to ensure a successful outcome for all concerned 

For who
CSR projects are a powerful and moving experience for all involved. You could consider arranging one for:

• Teams | Power team development experience for work and project teams
• Graduates | Increasingly, graduates are using corporate responsibility as a measure of attractiveness in potential employers
• Reward Programmes | Help recognise those employers who deliver an extraordinary performance, both in and outside work
• Supply Chain | Bring together customers, clients, suppliers to collectively deliver a project together
• Clients | Demonstrate a commitment to corporate responsibility by hosting a number of your key clients on a charity project

‘At Tamar we spent a lot of last year thinking about how we as a company can make ourselves sustainable and responsible, and a CSR project was high on our list. Having worked with some of the ‘Across the Divide’ team before on separate projects, we knew how enthusiastic and creative they could be, so we didn’t hesitate to contact them to help make our CSR vision a reality. Piers, Ian and Steve spent over 6 months preparing both us and the project for the tasks ahead, which culminated in a life-changing trip to Cape Town for the entire company, where we helped to upgrade classrooms in a Township school. As well as getting the job done, Across the Divide helped us to make sure our company objectives for the trip were fulfilled as well, making it our most successful CSR project to date’ Tanya Goodin CEO, Tamar.com Ltd

‘I would can not fully express my sense of achievement – it was an incredible event, one of the best corporate teambuilding’s that I have been a part of and one which has left with a sense of having contributed to the community in which I live. Would I do it again- definitely, would I recommend ATD to another company – I already have!’ P. Donaldson, Deutsche Bank

About Across the Divide
Across the Divide is all about social change whether this is via its raft of international charity expeditions, its well respected UK event management or its CSR solutions – its has facilitated the raising over £28 million over the past decade.   Its has in the meantime built up an enviable reputation for the thoroughness of its planning and the safety of its events.   ATD operates has a global reach with projects partners spread across the UK as well as across the globe. Across the Divide Website.