Osborne Supports Students and the Community in Winchester

Osborne Property Services is helping bring students and other members of the community in Winchester together through its support of Student Volunteering Week.

The week is organised by student-led charity Winchester Hub and runs from 22-28 February. It will see more than 60 students volunteering alongside Winchester City Council, Osborne and others on a variety of events.

Osborne is working in partnership to support a community action day on 23 Feb and an Afternoon Tea Party the following day, with 20 residents of supported housing visiting the University of Winchester and being looked after by 15 students.

This latter event is part of Winchester Hub’s Linkages programme to bring older and younger generations together. Osborne is providing the prizes for a raffle and also helping run a ‘sensory quiz’.

Catherine Mitchell, manager of Winchester Hub based at the University of Winchester, said: ‘Osborne’s support is brilliant. It means we can go above and beyond what we would otherwise be able to do. It is also important for students to see how corporations can give back to the communities in which they operate.’
Catherine added that more than 60 students were due to take part in Student Volunteering Week locally and that there would be more than 10,000 participating nationwide.

She said: ‘Student Volunteering Week highlights the wide range of opportunities available for students to get involved in their community while they are at university. By taking part in social action, students will gain skills and experience in tackling social and environmental issues, putting them in a great position to continue having an impact upon graduation.’

Neal Allison, community investment manager at Osborne Property Services, said: ‘We are very pleased to have built a relationship with Winchester Hub and are delighted to help support its work in the community.’
Neal added: ‘The community projects we are supporting during Student Volunteering Week are all good local causes that will help foster good relations between students and other members of the community. It’s always good for young people to have volunteering experiences and examples they can add to their CVs and talk about in their future interviews.’

Osborne will continue to work with Winchester Hub throughout the year on other community initiatives.

The Winchester City Osborne team will be working with Tesco, Winchester City Council and Winchester Hub to redecorate Firmstone Road Community Centre from 1-2 March, with a meet the volunteers day for tea and cake in the newly refreshed community lounge on 3 March.