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The Mars Volunteer Programme demonstrates how we as a business, and as individuals,
put our principles into action in our communities. The programme delivers mutual benefits and
offers a chance for Mars to make a positive impact on people, planet and performance through
our associates. The volunteer programme gives us the opportunity to give back to the communities
where we live and work. We've been doing this for decades.
Through community engagement, Mars aims to create health and prosperity, and the company
has supported the local communities for most of the 80 years it has been based in Slough.
Volunteering has become culturally normal at Mars with 50 percent of associates volunteering
during the last three years, helped by a volunteering policy which allows associates to volunteer
during work hours. Once again, we have supported some amazing projects this year.
Slough School Sports: A team of 18 strong volunteers helped to manage hundreds of children
at the Berkshire school games. Volunteer activities included helping with registration, manning
the cultural village and supporting the various sporting competitions.
Volunteers at Ivers Environment Education Centre continue to develop their rainforest
area through clearance, planting, weeding, and rehousing plants, cutting back trees and
bushes, outdoor seating and building a rainforest tribal shelter. Since 2012, the environment
centre's two-acre wildlife garden has seen over 200 Mars volunteers give hundreds of
hours to help create a better place for individuals and community groups.
The dream for Wexham School was to create an eco-garden where kids can go to enjoy planting
in a colorful and inspiring environment. So volunteers planted fruit trees, created paths,
a circle teaching area, and constructed a graffiti wall.
Slough Grammar School wanted to transform an area that was occasionally used by staff
at lunchtime into an educational resource area. Mars volunteers created an eco-area
in the quad by constructing raised beds, installing water vats, planting six fruit trees and installing
a compost bin.
The Work Inspiration Week was a week to showcase the different areas at Mars and also for associates
to share some of the skills they have learned and hopefully gain skills themselves. Fifteen
young people from three different schools took part in a series of interactive workshops
over the week and dozens of associates got involved. The young people learned about employability,
career paths, and discovering strengths, and had volunteers from all areas of the business
teach them there is more to Mars than making chocolate. However, they did enjoy their chocolate
making.
Another fun team-building activity was through volunteering in the Pop-up Shop challenge
over the course of a week. The aim was to raise as much funds as possible for the Berkshire
East and South Bucks Women's Aid, a local charity which provides support to people who
are affected by domestic abuse. Mars associates like a challenge, as we had over 50 volunteers
give their time to sell, amongst other things, clothing, shoes, bric-a-brac, books and toys,
to raise funds for this worthy cause. Who's going to be the champion? We'll have to wait
and see.