Edinburgh Zoo paired the keen volunteers from Apex Hotels head office to tackle some much-needed maintenance to the zebra enclosure and to prepare them for the winter months.
Robert Harden, gardens team leader at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “Thanks to the help of the willing team at Apex Hotels, we were able to dig and returf our zebra enclosure here at the zoo in no time. A huge job that would usually take our wildlife conservation charity’s teams about a week only took a couple of hours thanks to their help!”
Erin Gallacher was one of the team members to take part. “There is something so satisfying about working outdoors and seeing how much you’ve accomplished at the end of the day,” she said.
“I love the zoo and have wanted to spend more time volunteering, so it was perfect. I’m delighted that this is something we can do more often thanks to our new policy. It was also magical to see the zebras watching over us as we worked!”
The volunteering day at the zoo launched the company’s new employee initiative to offer up to two paid volunteering days per holiday year for all eligible team members.
Volunteering has been proven to reduce stress and increase positivity. According to The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, most volunteers (90%) feel as if they make a difference through their contributions while 77% report that volunteering improves their mental health and wellbeing.
Kerry Draper, People & Culture Director at Apex Hotels, said, "We are committed to giving back and making positive contributions to our local community. Many of our people already get involved in various charitable activities, but our improved volunteering policy will allow everyone to spend more time helping people and charities in our local community, which is really important to our core values".