Silva Homes fundraisers put Mind over matter for mental health charity | News

In the ‘Silva 2020 Challenge’, kind-hearted Silva Homes colleagues went the extra mile to undertake a series of fundraising activities. So far, they have raised over £1,000 for the mental health charity, Mind.

Those who took part did a variety of challenges based on the number 20 including:
 

• Kevin, Silva’s grounds maintenance manager, spent 20 minutes creating a spray-painted work of art, using 20 different colours.
  
  

• Xolani, one of Silva’s independent living scheme managers, said “hello” in 20 different languages.
  
  

• Kirsty, Silva’s graduate health and safety coordinator, walked from Windsor to Westminster in a single night.
  
  

The colleague-led fundraising initiative follows a year of Silva Homes rising to a series of unprecedented challenges that both colleagues and customers have faced due to Covid-19.

 

Silva has worked round the clock to support its 14,000 customers across the South East of England and 230 colleagues in the face of the global pandemic.

With more than 2,000 customers aged 65 and over, a ‘Phone Pals’ scheme was launched and each week more than 20 Silva colleagues make a total of 200 calls to customers who have requested this service because they are living in isolation.

And services were quickly adapted to support the most vulnerable in our communities, replacing a social activities scheme with a food delivery support service providing a lifeline to elderly people in independent living homes to stay stocked with essential items.

Silva also introduced a range of measures to help maintain colleague morale and support wellbeing. This includes a buddy system which provides peer to peer support, signposting colleagues to wellbeing resources and introducing coffee and chat sessions for colleagues across the business. 

 

Rob Smyth, executive director (people, digital & change) added:

“It’s been a difficult time for everyone, but I take immense pride in the way that our colleagues have responded to the challenges created by Covid-19.

“A real togetherness has come to the fore to boost colleague morale as they adapted to new working practices.

“The 2020 challenge demonstrates the creativity and commitment of our colleagues to helping those who need support, and I am proud that we have raised over £1000 for such a great cause.”