On Thursday 15 September, the Transcend team took a day out from the world of corporate finance, to spend the day at the Acorns Childrens’ Hospice in Selly Oak, Birmingham.
Acorns Hospice provides care to babies, children and young people aged between 0 to 18 years, with life limiting or life threatening conditions, along with support for their families.
The Transcend team reported for gardening duty at 9am, armed with gardening gloves, and ready to take on the day ahead. The team were fully briefed by Dee McCann (Volunteers Manager), who gave us some insight into what the hospice does, and the types of families they work with. The story was truly inspiring. We learnt about the services provided, and how families benefit from the service during time of illness, and also following bereavement.
Whilst some of us may anticipate that the atmosphere is one of sombreness, in fact, the opposite was the case. We learnt that the Acorns team make a conscious effort to make the hospice “a home from home” and we certainly felt that this was the case, and related wholeheartedly, when we saw the washing being put out on the line, once the care team saw that the sun was out and staying out! We also found out that the team have a focus on helping its users to lead a “normal” life, with childs’ play and school lessons mandatory where possible. The environment was one of making the most of life, and the time that families have left together.
The day was one of glorious sunshine, with temperatures reaching 26 degrees! The energy of the Transcend team was outstanding, with the team partaking in: raking leaves, an inventory check, sorting out garden tools, bedding and watering of plants, weeding, painting, and window cleaning.
The grounds were certainly spacious, with the entire team working all the way to 4pm!
Steve Bartlett, Partner at Transcend, commented, “Acorns are a fantastic organisation, supporting such a worthwhile cause. We are extremely pleased that we were able to make a small contribution to Acorns and its users.
In 2015 alone, Acorns supported over 800 children and more than 1,030 families, including those bereaved.
It was exceptionally encouraging to see a number of volunteers from all walks of life, all with a common purpose – to support users of the Acorns service. What certainly came across to us, was how the Acorns team truly believe in the service and are so passionate about helping its young people. As a team we found the experience extremely inspirational and hope to keep in touch with Acorns in the future.
