STAFF from intu Metrocentre and intu Eldon Square have been hard at work transforming areas of the North East, as part of Marks & Spencer’s Spark Something Good™ campaign.
Two members of staff from intu Metrocentre and five from intu Eldon Square used one of their company supported volunteering days to help local community projects this week, including rejuvenating Newcastle’s old Eldon Square in time for NE1’s outdoor movie screenings and transforming the gardens at a Gateshead Dementia North East charity, Silverline Memories.
The Spark Something Good™ campaign was launched by Marks & Spencer as a way for their workers, stores and customers to make a real difference in their community.
And intu staff were keen to get involved, as both centres were joined by their Marks & Spencer staff and members of the local community to work on their chosen projects.
The intu Metrocentre team of volunteers spent their day painting and planting flowers in the garden on Wednesday (July 20), to create a colourful and welcoming garden area for the Silverline Memories charity, who offers places to go and things to do for people with dementia in the North East.
intu Eldon Square has also been heavily involved in the Marks and Spencer Spark Something Good™ campaign, as staff members from the centre worked with people from the local community on Tuesday (July 19) to smooth, paint and varnish the commemorative benches in Eldon Green and plant in the square’s open spaces, ensuring the area is rejuvenated in time for NE1’s popular summer movie screenings which run from July 25 to September 4.
Clare Savory, Community Manager at intu Eldon Square and intu Metrocentre said, “All intu staff receive two volunteering days per year to support charity or community projects and we’re incredibly proud that some of our staff members opted to help these worthwhile causes.
“The garden and café for people with dementia is now the only provision of its kind in the borough of Gateshead and to know that our team played a part in that is extremely rewarding.”
Sandra Hasting, CEO of Silverline Memories said: “A huge thank you to the staff at intu Metrocentre for volunteering for this project, they were a fantastic support on the day and really got involved with every aspect of the gardening from planting to painting.
“The difference this has made to the gardens is amazing and we can’t thank the staff enough. It was brilliant to see the local community all come together to work on the gardens and of course this couldn’t have happened without the support from Marks and Spencer.”
For further information on intu, go to http://intu.co.uk/