Volunteer Telford

Capgemini, one of the largest employers in Telford, and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, which operates the 10 museums in the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, have won the Community Impact Award at this year’s Business Charity Awards ceremony held in London on 20th April.

The Trust approached Capgemini about working in partnership. They agreed to provide volunteers to support a series of improvement projects at the Trust’s largest and most popular site, Blists Hill Victorian Town, in order to enhance the visitor facilities and make the museum even more environmentally sustainable.

Having worked with the Trust on many other projects, Capgemini were quick to accept the challenge and offered 750 volunteers, who collectively gave 5,000 hours of their time. They turned waste ground into a plant nursery and built raised planting beds and a large greenhouse enabling Blists Hill to grow its own plants for the various gardens and allotments around the 56 acre site.

The Capgemini volunteers also helped to clear woodland, canal slipways and railway arches as well as reinstate paths and exhibits and erect fencing. All of these vital roles helped make the Museum more welcoming to visitors and also helped protect the local environment.

Neil Robinson, Capgemini’s volunteer coordinator for the museum commented, “Capgemini staff have enthusiastically adopted the project and taken the Museum to their heart. The sign-up list for volunteering is consistently full with several becoming regular volunteers in their own time. Our involvement not only builds team spirit, but has provided opportunities for personal and professional development. We’re playing our part in the local community by helping a wonderful local charity and very proud of the positive impact we are making. This award is the icing on the top of the cake, we are all thrilled.”

Environmentally sustainable practices adopted by the volunteers helped the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust also gain a Gold Star Green Business Tourism Award last year. The two organisations have strengthened their partnership and are working to develop a broader range of projects across all the Trust's sites.

Over recent years Capgemini has supported the Museum on a number of diverse projects such as packing, cataloguing and relocating the Trust’s historic costume collection, under the careful eyes of the curators, and testing a new app, showcasing the historic monuments within the World Heritage Site.

Anna Brennand Chief Executive, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust concludes; “Without the support of Capgemini these projects would have taken our staff years to complete, but by working in partnership we have been able to complete them in a matter of a few months.”