KIND-HEARTED employees swapped spreadsheets for shovels as part of a volunteering day at Newlands Bishop Farm in Solihull.
Staff from Phoebus Software visited its charity partner of the year and rolled up their sleeves to help redecorate one of the farm’s management offices and prepare the largest vegetable garden the site has ever seen.
The produce grown there will supply the on-site café — which the team also enjoyed during a well-earned lunch break.
Newlands Bishop Farm, which is run by the Family Care Trust, provides work experience and skills development for adults with learning disabilities and mental health conditions.
The farm offers various activities such as animal care, wood work, gardening, horticulture, fruit and veg growing, college courses and catering.
It operates seven days a week and plays a vital role in helping people gain confidence, work skills, independence and a sense of purpose.
Robin Jeffery, chief technology officer at Phoebus, said: “Our volunteering day at Newlands Bishop Farm was both inspiring and humbling.
“It was fantastic to see first-hand how the farm is changing lives, and to contribute in a small way to its ongoing work. We came away tired but fulfilled, and with a real sense of achievement.
“The day was incredibly rewarding and a good reminder that to give is to receive – if we all focussed on giving to the community rather than just on what we get, the world would be a better place.”
