Close Brothers Motor Finance employees volunteered 824 hours of their time for charity initiatives in 2019.

This beat the record of 818 hours last year, which in turn far surpassed the 2017 highs of 563 hours.

Employees at the company were challenged to think ‘what difference can you make’ in their local areas and were tasked with finding volunteering opportunities to support their communities.

They were collectively set a target of 700 hours of volunteering, which they surpassed, and Close Brothers Group pledged to donate an additional £8 per hour volunteered outside of office hours.

In total almost £40,000 was raised including £1,777 in match funding from Close Brothers.

Teams had the freedom to organise their own volunteering activities, spending their time with causes that mean the most to them. Consequently, employees took part in a variety of activities including litter picking, food bank support, beach clean-ups, DIY at hospices and animal sanctuaries, charity shop collections, and decorating community centres. Among the charity initiatives, almost 1,200 presents were collected for children across the UK ahead of the festive period.

They worked with a wide range of causes and charities including Age UK, the RSPCA, Meals on Wheels, Children’s Air Ambulance, and Last Chance Animal Rescue to name just a few.

In total, the teams collectively completed 34 days’ worth of volunteering throughout the Gift of Time initiative.

Rebecca McNeil, chief executive of Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: “Every year the team surpasses itself in the enthusiasm, effort, and energy that it puts into giving back to the local community. Gift of Time provides a valuable opportunity to support local causes, and for our employees to gain some perspective and take learnings about the hardships and issues that these organisations tackle on a daily basis.”