Volunteers get busy at Peabody community centre

Peabody’s Leander Community Centre in Deptford was a hive of activity on Monday last week as volunteers packed thousands of wellbeing packs and transformed a drab, uninviting room into a vibrant space for local young people to use as a music studio.

The industrious volunteers were from Deutsche Bank and Step Out, a Volunteer Centre Southwark project to help residents with mental health problems improve their skills and confidence through volunteering.

Deutsche Bank also donated £1,000 to the centre, matching the volunteers’ time.

Peabody Volunteer Coordinator Yolanda Sissing said:

‘We're so grateful to the volunteers who gave their time, skills and energy – and to Deutsche Bank for their generous donation which will go a long way towards helping local residents enjoy this facility. The redecorated room looks amazing and the wellbeing packs will be really well-received.’

The wellbeing packs will be delivered across London as part of Peabody’s Activate London programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, which encourages mental and physical well-being.

Kate Cavelle, Director of Corporate Citizenship UK at Deutsche Bank, said:

‘It was a fantastic day and we’re delighted to be able to lend our support to Leander Community Centre and Peabody. Our volunteers achieved a lot in very little time!’

Emma Malison from Volunteer Centre Southwark said:

‘The project volunteers who took part all agreed that it was a fun day and all felt that they had been involved in a worthwhile and fun activity. Some even asked when they could come back and do similar volunteering again.’

Located on Peabody’s Vanguard Street estate, Leander Community Centre is open to all and dedicated to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities. The centre boasts a learning zone, keep-fit classes with crèche facilities, Activate London activities and events, and a youth club for children as young as 8 years old.

The music studio will be unveiled in March 2010.

The volunteer day at Leander Community Centre was part of a week-long series of volunteer events organised by Peabody to commemorate CSV Make A Difference Day on 31 October, the UK's biggest annual day of volunteering.

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For more information contact Peabody Press Officer Neil Young on (020) 7021 4210 or neil.young@peabody.org.uk.
Notes for editors

• Peabody was established in 1862 and is now one of London’s oldest and largest housing associations, as well as being a charity and community regeneration agency. It owns or manages nearly 19,500 properties, providing homes to over 50,000 people across 30 London boroughs. Peabody’s mission is to make London a city of opportunity for all by ensuring as many people as possible have a good home, a real sense of purpose and a strong feeling of belonging.
• The Step Out project aims to support residents of Southwark who are engaged with mental health services into mainstream volunteering placements. www.volunteercentres.org.uk.
• Deutsche Bank recognises and encourages employee volunteering. It runs a range of volunteering programmes encouraging employees to spend time in schools, take part in community sports, share business knowledge and experience, and act as mentors to local community and business projects. www.db.com/unitedkingdom