JD demonstrates community spirit

More than 250 employees of Northampton-based JohnsonDiversey volunteered for a special Community Day organised in conjunction with Northamptonshire Community Foundation to raise £30,000 and establish a new fund to support local good causes. Employees from the company also worked voluntarily in teams with mental health charity MIND in Rushden, Northants and the environmental charity South Court Environmental in Northampton to provide practical assistance on specific labour-intensive projects.

The money was raised by 80 JohnsonDiversey employees during a sponsored bike ride around a local reservoir. Sponsors’ contributions were added to by the company and the total was then doubled thanks to match challenge funding provided by the Government through Northampton Community Foundation. The cash will be used to establish a new JohnsonDiversey Grassroots Fund that will be available to local individuals and groups who need assistance with their own projects.

“As responsible corporate citizens, JohnsonDiversey takes its commitment to the environment and local communities very seriously,” said David Aveyard, event co-ordinator and European sales and marketing director for agriculture at JohnsonDiversey. “This fund is our legacy to the local community and will help those groups that really need our support to exist and thrive. We are committed to building the fund and look forward to awarding grants once we reach the £50,000 mark.”

In Rushden a further 82 JohnsonDiversey employees redecorated two buildings used by mental health charity MIND. One building was damaged by fire last year and the other had to be redecorated before the lease came to an end.

“The work done by the volunteers and the generosity of their suppliers who donated materials has probably saved us around £12,000 which we can use for our main work instead,” said Rosemary van der Meer, MIND’s manager in Rushden.

In Northampton, a team of over 70 worked on accessibility and site improvement tasks at Wilson’s Orchard, managed by the South Court Environmental charity. The site provides an outstanding wildlife habitat on the edge of Northampton that is visited by many other community groups and schools as well as the general public.

“We have been going for nearly 15 years and we have never done more work in one day than we did with the help of these volunteers,” said Peter Nalder, chairman of South Court Environmental.

“By choosing to set up their own community fund JohnsonDiversey are pledging a commitment to make a real difference to the communities of Northamptonshire - now and for generations to come,” said Jessica Pilkington, marketing & fund development manager at Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

The day closed with a barbeque funded by Eurest, JohnsonDiversey’s contract catering supplier in the UK. This was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire whose official role is to represent Her Majesty the Queen at local events.

Additional support was provided on the day by a number of the company’s UK suppliers and partners, including Greenham which provided tools and equipment, TDG which arranged transport, and Booker which supplied snacks.

www.johnsondiversey.com